River Flows in You
by MarshMallow14
Summary: It has been 11 years since Chihiro visited Spirit World. Memories has been chasing her and she all she wanna do is to go back. But, Spirit World and its residents have changed...
1. Beginning

**A/N Hello! This is a sequel to Spirited Away. I hope you'll like it.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Spirited Away.**

**CHAPTER 1 : Beginning**

„ Chihiro, are you even listening to me? "

Chihiro stared out the window. The sky was as white as snowflakes that were silently falling on the windowsill. Even the old forest became white.

„ What? I'm sorry mum. I'm just watching snow. It's so beautiful." said Chihiro.

„ What is beautiful in purging home entrance of snow every morning just for the certain young lady who wishes to go to the college by car? Snow is nothing but a burden to me." Akio Ogino comented.

His wife Yuko, his daughter Chihiro and he have lived in a big blue house near old forest. They moved in eleven years ago. When they were moving they had little difficulties – movers that was moving their things into new house unloaded all the things in front of the house because Ogino family weren't there because Akio Ogino wrong turned and ended up in a forest in front of long-closed amusement park. They decided to explore it but Chihiro got lost so Akio and Yuko needed to wait for her to come. But, Chihiro wasn't lost. Her parents were pigs so they don't remember that Chihiro worked in a bathhouse to save them. They don't know that they were in spirit world for two days.

„ It's not true that a snow is just a burden! Do you remember us when we were walking by the frozen lake and watched the falling snowflakes? You said that the snow is beautiful." Yuko teased her blushing husband.

„ That was diffrent!" Akio said.

Chihiro smiled. Her parents have often behave like teenagers. Somethimes it was sweet, but sometimes was very annoying_. C'mon! You are over 50 years old! I think it's time to begin with behaving accordance with your age_, she thought. But she was happy for their immortal love.

Yuko Ogino grabbed her husband's arm and continued:

„ Chihiro, I was saying that it is nice that you are going out tonight with Miyuki. And it was about a time for you to go out once for a change."

_Here it goes..._

„ You are always at home when your friends are out, having fun, enjoying in their youth. I don't know how many times your dad and I have encourage you to go out but no, Chihiro doesn't want to go out. But ok, I guess that you are now finally realised that your life is passing by."

Chihiro was staring at her plate, playing with leftovers of her special "Old-years" lunch. Her parents were always complaining about her social life. Chihiro wasn't very social course, she has friends but she doesn't hangs out with them very much. She doesn't know why. Maybe because she has a secret which she told only one person – her best friend Miyuki. She only told her about spirit world. She even didn't tell her parents about it because she knew that they wouldn't believe her. Miyuki was the first one who approached her when a teacher introduced her to her class. Miyuki said: „ Hi! Would you like to be my new best friend? I have just fall out with my previous one..." They so easily became best friends. It has been eleven years since that.

Chihiro heard her mother continuing:

„ I'm sure that you will have a great time tonight. I heard that this year they will relase many negayōs in the air in midnight. You should write at least one."

„ I will." said Chihiro with fake smile. She knew that she will write to him again like the past years. She was sad because that remindes her that he will not come for her because the gates disappeared so he can't get to her. She still rememberes that moment.

It was an autumn morning a few months after her visit to spirit world. It was Saturday and it was very cold although the sun was rising in the east. Chihiro was tired of waiting for him to come for her so she decided to go to spirit world again. She missed everybody – Lin, Kamayi, Granny Zeniba, even Yubaba and especially Haku. He was dear friend to her, he even saved her life couple of times. He helped her to save her parents from turning to pork. She wanted to at leas say "Hi!" to him once again. So she went to the woods where were the gates that leads to spirit world. She almost got lost when she finally found a path that leads to a little creepy little statue which was in front of the big gates. But statue wasn't there. And the gates dissapeared, too. She couldn't believe that. She just stared at the empty space where the big tunnel should be. For a moment she thought that her trip to another world was just the imagination of some 10 year old girl who wanted to have something interesting in her life. But calling his name on the cold autumn breeze made her sure that everything was true.

_Haku..._

How will he come for her now? How will he keep his promise? Will she see everybody again?

These questions have popped up in her mind even now, eleven years later, when she is chatting with her parents who doesn't know the truth and will ever know.

**A/N Nengayōs are special Japenese New years cards. They are sending them to their friends and families to wish them good health and stuff like that in new year.**


	2. New Year's wish

**Hello again. I'm so sorry for this late update - I was very busy. It seems that teachers became very evil lately.**

**As you know, this fanfic is called River flows in you. That is the name of the Yiruma's most famous song. It is awesome with or without lyrics. My big wish is to learn play it on piano but I don't have the piano and I don't know how to play it so I think that it would take a while to fulfill that wish.**

**And just to remind you**** - nengayōs are special Japanese New year's cards. They are sending them to their friends and families to wish them good health and stuff like that in New Year.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Spirited Away or anything about it.**

**CHAPTER 2 : New Year's wish**

„...and take care of yourself. Don't come home late!" Yuko shouted to her daughter who had already left the house and now was standing in a middle of a street. The neighbors were watching her from their warm houses thinking how rude it was of Mrs. Ogino to shout like that.

„ Yeah, yeah. Goodbye, mum." said Chihiro.

„ Goodbye Chihiro. Have a great time!" shouted Yuko before closing the door because it was very cold outside.

It was 8:30 in the evening. Snowflakes were silently falling from the night sky and the cold winter breeze was lifting Chihiro's long ponytail that was bound with shiny purple hair band. It was her only reminder of her old friends in the other world. She constantly worn the simple thing, but it never wore out. It always shined with a weird purple light that made the dark haired girl feel safe. She assumed it did that because of the love and care her friend put into making the item and that friendship never died.

Chihiro shook those thoughts out of her head as she continued walking towards town square where Miyuki was probably already waiting for her. She is late, again. She knew that it is a bad habit, but she couldn't help herself. The girl again refocused on mind. This time it was to the that would go on at the would be music, dancing and fireworks at midnight to greet the New Year, year of the Dragon. Along with the other festivities, people would put their _nengayōs _in a box and throw them in the air at midnight. By doing this, people would be able to send wishes to those they loved, but were out of reach. Chihiro had written one _nengayō_ and she checked that is was safe and sound in her pocket.

Every year for past eleven years she has written one _nengayō_ for her dear friend and every year she has asked him why he hadn't come for her. She knew deep down that he hadn't received any of her _nengayōs_, but it was nice to believe otherwise.

Chihiro slowly approached the crowd who was singing and dancing with the melody of the song that was played by the band. She quickly found Miyuki in the crowd because she wore a yellow coat and a red cap with picture of snowman on it. She was chatting with two boys.

_So like her... _Chihiro thought. Miyuki saw her and she waved her to come to her. Chihiro didn't want to hang out with those guys but knowing her friend, she wouldn't let her leave. Chihiro went to Miyuki.

"Chihiro! You are late, again!" Miyuki shouted because the crowd around them was too loud for them to speak normally.

"Meet Ryo", Miyuki waved to an incredibly tall guy with dark hair, "and Masahiko." She waved to the guy that was standing to her left. He had blond hair and dark eyes. He checked her out from head to toe and said "hello" with a grin on his handsome face.

After a half an hour, Chihiro was annoyed by Masahiko. Miyuki was chatting with Ryo and had left Chihiro alone with the blond who was surprisingly talkative. Right now, he was telling her why spiders frightened him.

"We were visiting my grandmother in the hospital. We came to her room. She shared a room with three other grannies. They were all very nice and neither one of them had teeth. They all had dentures in glasses but with no water. One of them wanted to chat with me – you know old ladies, they love children – so she grabbed her dentures from the glass, but there was a big black spider on them that she didn't see, and she put the dentures in her mouth! I screamed and ran out but nobody knew what was wrong with me."

Any other time Chihiro would have laughed but he was too annoying so she said as politely as she could: "Excuse me for a moment. I will be right back."

She quickly went to Miyuki who was still chatting with Ryo. She pulled her by her yellow sleeve and led her to some quieter place far away from Ryo and Masahiko.

She intended to complain about Masahiko's talkativeness but Miyuki spoke first.

"Aren't they awesome? They are with the band but they perform in about 2 hours. I didn't have time to tell you this. Masahiko is a singer. I think you will like his singing." Miyuki said with a huge wink.

Chihiro raised her eyebrow and shouted when she figured out what was her friend doing.

"No way, Miyuki! You are not hooking me up with some random guy, _again! _And no buts!" said Chihiro when she saw Miyuki's face that was saying_ But, he is a singer!_

"I understand that you don't want me hooking you up anymore. I just think it's silly for you not at least think about trying to date him though! He is handsome, nice, sweet, and he is a singer! I would take him for myself but I am awesome friend. So I am letting you have him if you want him, of course," Said Miyuki and she went back to the boys leaving Chihiro time to think about it.

Chihiro sighed. She believed that Miyuki was being sweet in her own way and could admit that what Miyuki said was true. Chihiro had never had a boyfriend. She didn't feel like having one, but now she was 21 years old. She had to ask herself did she make a mistake for not letting anyone but Miyuki close? After all, he obviously forgot about her...

_You don't know that! Maybe he was very busy for the last eleven years so he couldn't come to you..._

That sounded pathetic even in her head. But, he promised her that they would see each other again and she believed that he would keep his word.

She went back to where Miyuki and her male company were rushing through the crowd. Miyuki greeted her with a grin on her face and then Chihiro realised that Miyuki was a great liar.

"So, what kind of music do you listen? I listen..." Masahiko started.

Time passed very slowly, unfortunately for Chihiro who felt awkward in the presence of the very tall and very shy Ryo, who didn't seem know that Miyuki was flirting with him, and Masahiko, who was very annoying with all his comments about Chihiro's beautiful eyes and his stories about childhood.

When the time came for Ryo and Masahiko to replace tired band members, Chihiro thought that she was finished with all of Masahiko's compliments and questions about her family, her past, and plans for the future. She was very mistaken. The blond climbed to the stage and shushed the group of very loud women. Then he cleared his throat and said: "Hello! I will entertain you for the next 4 hours or so. I will start with song witch I dedicate to my new friend Chihiro, who is standing right there..." He waved at her and gave her a huge grin, telling her that he really thought it was good idea to humiliate somebody in such a way. Everybody was staring at her. She hid herself behind Miyuki who shouted: "Aww! That's so sweet! Why are you hiding?"

The music started. Chihiro, with all her annoyance, quickly realized that it was one of the old traditional Japanese songs that sang about a young girl who waited for her long lost love. He promised her that he would come for her. She was crying and begging him to come for her but he never did. The melody was very sad at the ending, describing the feeling of a broken heart that Chihiro knew too much about.

When the song ended, Chihiro shed a tear, one tear that was reminded her of all sad moments when she was waiting, hoping that he would come for her. She would stare at the stars in hope that he was somewhere out there, coming for her, and he would make her happy again, as happy as she was when she was in his world, with her true friends. Every time she would hope against all hope that she would soon be reunited with what she had lost and every time she would end up with tears in her big brown eyes. She would convince herself that tomorrow was a new day and a new chance for her to be happy again. Unfortunately, tomorrow was just another disappointment...

The big applause brought her back to reality where Miyuki saw the tear on her cheek and thought that that was happy tear, not sad one.

"Wow, wasn't that super nice of him? I would have cried myself but with all these make-up on I would look like a clown." said Miyuki with a grin on her face.

"What? Oh yeah, the song was nice. But I wasn't crying because of that." Chihiro wiped out her tear. He heard Masahiko singing new song, something that was much more modern.

"Then why were you crying if you weren't because of the sweet guy who sang you this heartbreaking song in front of the all these people?" asked Miyuki.

"The song reminded me of him..." Chihiro answered quietly, looking at the ground. She felt shy like she was 10 again not 21.

"Whom?" asked Miyuki.

"Haku." Chihiro said shyly. It was always hard to say his name.

" Oh no. I really thought that you were over with that "Haku thing". This has really gone too far..." Miyuki said more to herself than to Chihiro.

Chihiro saw that she was thinking hard.

"What was taken too far?" she asked curiously.

"Chihiro, I need to tell you something, but promise me you won't get mad." Miyuki said with strange tone in her voice.

"Why would I get mad? What are you hiding from me?"

"Well, eleven years ago I told your parents about spirit world but only because I was scared for your health! You were talking nonsense to me all day and when your parents were asleep you were sneaking out from the house to spend the night in the woods in front of the ugly little statue. I needed to tell them something and I did and I don't regret that. It seemed that they didn't believe it, and to be honest, neither did I. So they took you to a therapist, Mrs. Kokono, a nice old lady who would make you understand that you were talking foolishness to me. We thought that she would tell you that your fantasies weren't real and it would be all over, but, she had other plans. It seems that she believed you but she told us it was just you faking to gain my trust. She told me that I needed to pretend that I believed you and that you mustn't know that your parents knew. So, we did that. You kept telling me those things and I kept pretending that I believed some time, you stopped. You didn't tell me anything about him in about 8 years until tonight. Chihiro, you got to let it go. He doesn't exist. It was all your childish imagination." Miyuki grabbed her by her shoulders.

Chihiro was surprised. Her best friend lied to her for eleven years. How many times she was pretending to believe her when Chihiro was cryingon her shoulder. How many times did she think to herself _what a freak!_ All those thoughts made her angry. She broke out of her friends grip and started shouting at her.

"...I can't believe it! I believed you and you lied to me all these years. How could you do this to me? You're supposed to be my friend and friends are honest with each other! And you're wrong! He is real and he will come for me! I know he will!"

She turned to leave but she bumped into some obviously drunk guy who was dancing in some weird way. She didn't notice that her _nengay__ō _slipped away from her pocket and fell on the ground. She shouted something like "_get sober" _and rushed towards her house. She didn't want to be near Miyuki. Miyuki couldn't understand that Haku, Lin, Kamayi and everything about spirit world was important to her. Tears blurred her vision. She was still running and she couldn't stop thinking about the past eleven years. It all was a big lie! Her parents lied to her. Her best friend lied to her. Even the nice old lady lied to her.

Her tears were still falling on her cheeks when she came near her house. She didn't want to come in and face her parents. Before she knew it, she was heading to the forest. She somehow knew that she needed to be there. It was very dark but Chihiro didn't mind. She knew that there weren't any dangerous animals there from the times she had spent nights in the area in the past and that the animals that were there would not hurt her.

Everything was quiet. Snowflakes were still falling through the branches of the old trees but there was no cold breeze anymore. Chihiro's mobile phone rang when as she was trying to find a pathway. It was Miyuki but she didn't answer. She didn't want to hear her explanations. She also ignored her other two calls before she turned off the sound on her mobile.

Everything was quiet again. It was in that silence that she realized she almost missed New Year! Still trying to find a pathway in darkness, she started counting down the last seconds of the old year and thinking about new.

...10...

_The New Year will be so much better that old one._

...9...

_Maybe I will find a small apartment and finally move out from my parents' house_

_...8..._

_I will find new friends._

_...7..._

_My new friends would never lie to me._

...6...

_My new friends would believe me when and if I would tell them about him._

...5...

_I won't make any mistakes in my life._

_...4..._

_I would forget about my old life and its sadness._

_...3..._

_I would forget this day._

_...2..._

_He will come for me._

_...1..._

And then she saw it. She knew that her wish came true.

**And, what was it? Good or bad? **

**I have to thank my beta reader **_**ItachiUchiha17**___**for checking my grammar mistakes and making this chapter ****suitable**** for reading. Big thank you!**

**Ohh yeah, it would be nice to review.**

**Until next time,**

**MarshMallow14.**


	3. Remember the scene

**Chapter 3: Remember the scene**

She saw it and she knew her wish came true.

When the clock on her mobile phone shoved her that the New Year has come, Chihiro found a pathway but at the same time she found so much more. She found out that all of those years she spent waiting and hoping that he would come meant something. Her every single tear that she dropped on her pillow in the middle of a night when she woke up from her dreams of him knowing that he is far away from her, her every single lie that she told her parents when they asked her why is she so sad, her line "Today is another day" which she repeated every single morning knowing that "today" will be just like other "todays" were – full of loneliness and homesickness for the world that only she knew that exists, the world in which she can't come back...

All of that meant something because if it didn't mean anything, why is he standing in front of her?

She could barely see what is in front of her but those well known emerald eyes were shining like the stars above them. She stopped, froze like a statue. Her hand dropped her mobile phone with silently "puf" when it hit the ground covered in snow. Little snowflakes were falling onto her eyelashes causing her to blink. She was frightened that he might disappear when she does that but he was still there, looking at her with his beautiful eyes that could look just through you. He was obviously unable to speak, just like her.

His eyes were not at the same level as Chihiro's. She realised that he is taller than her so she came up with a conclusion – he isn't a boy anymore.

Colourful fireworks began to be fired into the midnight sky so their dazzling light even more lit him, but only his eyes. His face and body were a mystery to Chihiro. It might was a bit too soon and too dark to conclude that that man who is standing in front of her is indeed him but she knew she was not mistaken – those eyes in the deepest shade of green could only belong to the boy whom she met long ago in a dream, magical dream full of witches, dragons and little soot balls. In that dream she found her personality, she discovered that friends are the most valuable possession in the world, that she must fight for them, protect them, love them... She discovered pure love. And then, that dream ended as it never existed. But that boy or man who is standing in front of her said something what gave her hope of finding her dream again. He promised her that they will see each other again. He promised her that eleven years ago when she was just a 10-year old girl and now, she is a woman. She is going to a college to collect the knowledge that is necessary for her life, here, in this world. She is slowly going on her own. But now when he is really here, everything changed.

Her heart was racing so fast like as it would pump out from her chests. She has never felt that way – so exited, so stunned, so confused. She saw dark outlines of something very big behind him. It was very dark in the woods but that thing was even darker. Fireworks lit surrounding trees which looked creepy with bare branches. She recognised it, but it couldn't be...

One question came on Chihiro's mind causing her even more confused – Are that the big gates behind him?

How many times did she sneak out from the house in the night when her parents were sleeping to go wondering around in the woods trying to find a deep hidden path? How many times did she cry of happiness when she finally found it hoping that she now would finally find something else that she seeks for so long? And how many times did that happy tears turn into sad ones when she was standing in this very place looking into an empty space where the big tunnel should be standing? And after all of that, there it is. But how?

Chihiro meant to ask him that but then she felt something oddly familiar, something like déjà vu, like she has seen it before, like as it was a dream... _Of course_, she thought, _I knew that this is too good to be true._

The most of her dreams were starting with this scene where Haku finally came for her. The only differences were that it wasn't night but hot sunny day and she was able to see him, unlike now. Sometimes he was a boy and sometimes he grew into a man, attractive man. He would be standing in front of the gates and waiting for Chihiro to take her back to the spirit world but they never got there. Her dreams always ended when they were at the old train station so close to the spirit world. Then they would hear the sound of a train and that sound would always awake her up. She would lie there in her bed in the middle of a night not knowing is she still in the woods or somewhere else, has he really come for her this time or is he still in the other world. Those few seconds when she didn't know what is real and what isn't scared her the most. Her head would hurt and she would feel the cold sweat. In those moments she would feel like the loneliest girl in the world. Her parents were asleep in the next room and yet she couldn't tell them what hurts her. They would never understand... She didn't want to feel that way again so she collected her courage and asked afraid of the answer:

"Are you really here or am I dreaming again?" Chihiro hardly spoke with shaky voice. Her mouth was very dry so it was hard to even make a sound and that lump in her throat didn't help either. After few long moments when the only sound that Chihiro could hear was sound of fireworks mixed with the sound of her fast beating heart, she heard a strange voice that said:

"You are not dreaming." Those four words were all that Chihiro ever needed to hear. She needed to hear from somebody else than herself that she is not dreaming, that her trip to other world full of spirits was not just some product of her imagination. She needed to know that she is not crazy; cause lately she has started questioned that.

Those words echoed through the woods with a sound of the fireworks. His voice was very strange like as it tells you that he don't belong to this world. It was far too beautiful to be spent on mortal beings. It sounded much more mature that it was the last time. She remembered that the last sentence that he has told her was "Don't look back". It was hard to leave all that magic without even looking back but she did it because he asked her to, and she trusted him just like she trusts him now. Chihiro knew that if this is a dream, Haku could lie to her and tell her that it isn't, but she also knew that he wouldn't do something like that to her, even only in a dream. He trusted him with all of her heart and she knew that he trust her too.

He slowly separated his green eyes from Chihiro's dark brown ones and started looking around. After few moments he spoke again: "I can't see much but it seems that this world isn't very different from ours." His voice almost dozed her but she managed to notice his mistake, big mistake.

"Oh yes, it is. This world is very different. My real friends don't live here", said Chihiro with watery eyes. She rushed toward the man whom she waited eleven years to come for her and hugged him. She waited for that hug so long so it was heartbreaking to feel his warmth on her skin. Her head came just under his chin. She still couldn't see his face even when she was so close to him. She felt tension that spread from his head to toe. Guess he didn't expect that she would hug him, maybe she scared him. She quickly removed her hands from his back trying to "unhug" him but then she felt his hands hugging her back and pressing her hands to his chests. Chihiro was so relieved that he hugged her back because that meant that he was feeling the same strange feeling that Chihiro felt when she first looked into his emerald eyes –they felt happiness.

Chihiro couldn't move her hands very much because they were flattened to his chests but she managed to discover two things than she would never connect with that little boy whom she once knew. She discovered silk and muscles. Haku certainly changed.

Haku was surprised when Chihiro hugged him but in a good way, very good way. He was afraid that she might doesn't remember him but feeling her warm touch told him that he was wrong. He hugged her back showing her that he is here and that she doesn't have a reason to cry. It was painful to feel her tears. He was afraid that he might be the reason for them – he was eleven years late. He promised her to come and yet he didn't, until now. He let her wait so long for him and he would have come but he unfortunately wasn't able to. He will explain it all to her later when they actually will be able to see each other. He will tell her everything in hope that she will understand.

Chihiro raised her head and looked into his eye: "She, she told me that you won't come, that you aren't real, that everything wasn't real..." It was painful to remember what Miyuki said only half an hour earlier. Her tears started dropping faster from her eyes to her cheeks.

"Shh...it's ok." Haku leaned her head on his chest letting her relax." I'm here now and I won't let anybody and anything to hurt you." He started swinging her slowly in the rhythm of some mysterious song.

The fireworks stopped. They were left alone in the full amount of the darkness of the old forest. Only twinkling stars and the full moon were now casting their shining light on them. Snowflakes were invisible in the dark but they felt their coldness. Swinging relaxed her and after some time her tears stopped falling on Haku's silk shirt. His swinging reminded her of mother's lullaby for her child to stop crying. With the same care he calmed her and chased away all of the bad thoughts of her mind; it remedied only good ones. After a while, Chihiro managed to smile realising how funny they look swinging in the woods in the midnight when they can't even see each other. She could only feel his hands on her back and the slow movement of his legs. She caught the rhythm and her legs started moving in a perfect harmony with his. Chihiro heard him laughing and that sound made her heart beat even faster. She said through laugh:

"We look silly."

"Yeah, we do. But who would see us here?" said Haku.

"Nobody, including us. I can't even see you!"

"You don't need to see me. You know I'm here. "

"What are we doing?"

"I don't know. I think that in my world there's no word to describe it. How would you call this in this world?"

"Hmm...I can think of two expressions: "Acting like a 5 - year old "or "Making fool of yourself". Choose."

Haku chuckled and said: "I choose the second. After all I'm way too old to act like I'm 5."

"How old are you, anyway?" asked Chihiro curiously. She remembered that she has never asked him about his age. She knew that spirits are immortal and that their appearance has nothing to do with their real age.

"Let's just say that I could be your great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather." answered Haku with quite cunning tone of voice.

"You dance pretty good for an old man." She started teasing him.

"We are not dancing! This..." he suddenly spun her around and caught her with gentlemen's style"...is dancing and I don't do that. We are just...swinging. And, so that you know, I am considered to be very young dragon in spirit world."

Chihiro was very surprised when he suddenly spun her around. She almost lost her breath. That move actually shoved her that he can dance; actually he can dance pretty good.

"You are just teasing me!" said Chihiro when she caught a breath.

"Yes, I am." If Chihiro could see him, she would see that grin is spreading over his face.

"Haku, why are we swinging?"

"I don't know. I started to swing you to make you stop crying and then you came along..."

They both started laughing. They stopped swinging and just stayed in each other embrace. It was very warm that way.

Chihiro made one decision long time ago when she was just a little girl who believed in fairy tales. She didn't understand that it wouldn't be easy to confirm it when the time comes. And now, when time finally came, it brought numerous questions onto her already busy mind. Lots of them were about her parents – how would they react when they find out that their daughter is missing. She was unable to give answers to any of them but she knew one thing...

"I want to go with you to the spirit world." She said while slowly pulling away from the embrace. Cold winter breeze came between them. She already missed his warmth.

"Are you sure?" said Haku with serious tone.

"Positive." nodded Chihiro.

"Do you want to say goodbye to your parents?" he asked

"No. They wouldn't believe me. They would make me stay."

"Okay. Come."

"Wait. Don't you wanna go sightseeing?" teased Chihiro.

"No, thank you. I don't have any powers here and it feels a little...creepy"

"You feel human."

"Well...it's still creepy." He chuckled.

"Come." He offered her his hand. It was a little complicated to find his hand in the dark. They both ended up laughing in front of the gates. She could see only dark outlines of them, but she felt the wind that was pulling them in like the last time. Smile vanished from her face and was replaced by a scary look. She was very scared and Haku felt that so he looked at her and said with silent voice: "Don't be afraid. I'm here." He tightened his grasp on her hand and made the first step forward entrancing the big, dark tunnel. Chihiro followed him; her heart was racing so fast. She entered the tunnel that leads into other world, other reality, in which she has always wanted to come back.

The darkness was like some kind of fluid. Chihiro was barely able to breathe, her lungs were burning like fire and wherever she looked she couldn't see anything. They didn't say anything, only their footsteps were echoing through the tunnel. It seemed that they would walk endlessly in the darkness but they steeped into an old train station. Silver moonlight was coming through the small window on the station's wall. Chihiro saw dark outlines of branches and chairs. She also saw the light at the end of the tunnel. The spirit world was just beyond her grasp. And then she heard it. Sound of a train made her close her eyes and tightened her grasp on Haku's hand. She just waited to wake up in her bed all trembling and sweaty. Damn, it felt so real. She will awake in 3, 2, 1...

But nothing happened. She could hear the sound of the train leaving far, far away. That train

And then she heard Haku's soft voice that said: "We are here." They both stopped. Chihiro didn't even realise that she was still walking. She felt magic all around her. She felt like a thousand of bees were silently buzzing in front of her closed eyes. She slowly opened her eyes and saw the world of her dreams. She finally came home.


	4. One winter's night

**A/N Here you are. Chapter 4. **

**Chapter 4: ONE WINTER'S NIGHT **

The first things that Chihiro saw where colorful lights that were coming from the distant restaurants. They were lightening the midnight sky full of twinkling stars and falling snowflakes. It looked just like magic. And maybe it was because the snowy ground and the midnight sky and the white dragon beside her belonged to the magic world. Looking the red, yellow, purple and green color dancing on the steady surface of the big lake a few miles ahead of her, she felt like that magic is greeting her for coming here again. It wanted to touch her but it couldn't because she was standing in gates' darkness.

The gates were a magical being itself. They were dragging in themselves everything, light, wind, and snow, everything except smell. The fragrances of the deep fried food from the restaurant triggered unpleasant memories and made her hungry at the same time... but she had to resist it. After all, that food was for the spirits only and you don't want to offend them as the consequences are deathly.

Unfortunately, Chihiro's parents didn't know that and they had eaten it to fill their empty stomachs. A witch named Yubaba, the owner of the bathhouse nearby, has transformed them into pigs as punishment. She would have slaughter them and turn them into pork if Chihiro has not saved them. And now, she was once again here. But now it wasn't hot summer day but cold winter night and her parents were now a world away from her and she was alone, well not quite alone… 

One certain dragon was standing beside her. She could not see him but she was able to feel his hand on hers. It was warm unlike the cold snowflakes that were falling on her face. Funny, the snowflakes were exactly the same like the ones in her world – cold at first but, melting, they become warm like a summer rain. And that summer rain cascaded down from her face touching her slowly separated lips. Chihiro went still. They tasted like salt…

After few moments Chihiro saw that if she moves few steps forward, she would step away from the gates' darkness and she could finally see the man who brought her here. It seemed that Chihiro wasn't the only one thinking about that; she felt slight movement on her right where he was standing. The hand that was tangled with hers moved forward forcing Chihiro to do the same as the voice spoke:"Come. Let me see you." And she did just that.

Chihiro didn't even have time to comprehend that she was moving when she suddenly saw him. She didn't see the boy whom she once knew. Chihiro saw the man whom she never met before - even in her dreams. She has always dreamed of a very tall, slim man with the same hair style that he had when he was a boy. That man who was standing in front of her didn't look like that. He was slightly taller than her with a very strong body. His alabaster skin perfectly matched with his dark raven hair. It was longer than it was before, but still not touching his broad shoulders. It wasn't that neat combed than it was before. Now, the black tresses were falling as they like but it still looked perfect. He wore a silk black shirt and simple black pants. Chihiro thought of asking him isn't he cold but when she looked into his eyes that thought simply popped out of her mind.

His green eyes were the only thing that has not changed on him, the only thing that her dreams' imagination caught right. Well, she has seen them before in the woods but it was too dark there to clearly see that little shining sparks that made them to look like the liquid emeralds. They were big and wide from the surprise. He let go of her hand and spoke so quietly that Chihiro nearly didn't hear him: "You look different." Chihiro saw him frowning slightly as he whispered the words. She said: "Humans age. Didn't you know that?"

Haku answered looking slightly ashamed: "I did. I just didn't expect you to look so..." He didn't know the right word to describe her looking. Beautiful was not even close enough...

"Well, you are older, too", said Chihiro unaware of Haku's thoughts. He managed to remove that surprising look of his face. "Yeah, I guess we are even then." He said with a grin. Chihiro smiled too and meeting his glance she quickly looked away, but why she did not know.

The snow on the ground was visible through her leather boots so she concluded that she is vanishing, again. Pointing to her feet, Haku took her hand in front of his face and saw her frightened brown eyes through it. Chihiro cried when her hand fell through his hand and he was unable to hold her anymore. He said to her that she will be all right as he reached for his pocket on his pants and took out one red berry which he put into her mouth. That would be rather embarrassing but know when that single berry was saving her from disappearing, Chihiro really didn't care that Haku is literally feeding her because she couldn't do it herself.

When she swallowed it Haku raised his palm before her and Chihiro knew what to do, after all she has done it before. She slowly reached for it and felt relief when she felt his warm hand pressed to hers. Haku smiled. "See? You're fine. Now, shall we go to the bathhouse? Lin will be ecstatic to see you." said Haku slowly removing his hand. Chihiro nodded and he turned around and started marching towards the big lake. Chihiro followed him and stepped to the very edge of the shore and ask while scanning the big black lake: "How will we cross the lake?"

It was New Years' eve, winter, and it was very cold but the lake has not been frozen. Chihiro thought that that has something to do with the fact that that lake was appearing only by night, by daylight it vanishes and reveals the big green plains. Now, it was shimmering on the cold winter breeze. Here and there occasional churning could be heard that gave Chihiro the creeps. She really didn't want to know what kind of underwater creatures were responsible for it. She didn't feel like coming near that lake, let alone crossing it. Deep in her dark thought, Chihiro felt the strange sensation coming behind her where Haku was standing and she saw that something flat and narrow is connecting two shores like a bridge. It was in the water level, but water didn't spill over it. Then she saw that with silent pop little street kerosene lamps were arranging at every 20 to 30 meters. They were glowing with bright light illuminating the choppy lake.

"What is that? And why are street lamps there?" said Chihiro curiously.

"That is the path that we must cross to go to the other shore. I put the street lamps there because of the Rose. That is her lake and she lives in it. She doesn't eat meat but she is rather angry when someone crosses her lake. She hates light so I think that we would be fine." said Haku. Ohh, he really didn't need to say that. He obviously didn't know that human women were afraid of anything big, scary, slimy or hairy and "Rose" in Chihiro's head looked just like that. Convincing her to cross the lake before mentioning that some nasty creature named "Rose" resides in it wouldn't be very easy, but now it would be far from that.

Chihiro quickly stepped away from the shore. She didn't like the sound of churning that was surely coming from the certain creature and that line "I **think** we will be fine" wasn't very reassuring, either. She cried: "I'm not crossing that lake!" Haku sighed heavily and then the argument began.

The argument contained a lot of "I don't want to be some thing's midnight snack" and "Rose is a vegetarian" but Haku won in the end. He reassured her that there was no other way.

"Well you could fly on me and be frozen to death if that is what you want! Or you could wait 5 or 6 hours for daylight!" Haku almost yelled in annoyance at the stubborn woman standing beside him.

"Fine!" Chihiro grumbled and started marching towards the lake not even bothering to look at him. She placed one foot at the bridge and sighed with relief when it didn't move from her weight at all. She slowly started to walk on it when she heard a mocking voice:

"Are all humans that stubborn?" Chihiro turned around to look at him and while seeing that mocking grin on his features she couldn't keep her face straighten.

"Yes!" she answered with all the effort to her voice to sound angry but that little amusement note gave her away, or it was her slightly curved eyes or that small smile on her face. Haku laughed and stepped onto bridge. He passed her while saying: "Good to know", and keep walking forward not even turning around. Chihiro realized that she would probably be teased for her stubbornness in not-so-distant future but she really didn't really care.

At one moment Chihiro could swear that she has seen something dark green just below the lake's surface but when she was about to show it to Haku who was walking before her, it vanished into lake's depths.

Every few meters they were stepping on a bright light of the small kerosene lamps. They would hear the loud buzzing of some small like-mosquitoes insects that were gathered around the kerosene lamps. Chihiro was pretty sure they weren't mosquitoes because it was winter time and they were purple.

Soon, they stepped onto dry land. Flashing colorful lights from the many lanterns were illuminating dark silhouettes of the spirits. Here and there a spirit with actual form would appear but mostly they were just dark masses.

"I'll cast a spell on you so you won't be seen. Yubaba can punish you for being here. You will be safe in the bathhouse, but if anyone sees you and tells Yubaba, I won't be able to help you." Haku whispered to Chihiro as they were climbing a rock stairs that connected the lake and the restaurants' area.

"Do I need to hold my breath again? 'Cuz I'm not good at it." asked Chihiro while remembering that the last time she has not managed to hold her breath when they were crossing the bridge thanks to some frog.

Haku grinned obviously remembering the same thing. "You don't need to that this time. Just follow my lead and try not to stand on some one's toes. That might look a little suspicious." Chihiro felt the heat coming from him and then she felt like she was on fire but it didn't burn her. The fire spread from her head to toe and Chihiro realized that that was Haku's magic.

Haku leaded her through the loud crowd of the hungry spirits. Chihiro had to pay attention that she doesn't bump into somebody. She was surprised when she saw that the white snowflakes were falling through that black spirits without actual form. She memoed herself in her head to ask Haku how are they feeding themselves when they obviously can't grab onto anything.

As Haku was passing along the restaurants, restaurants' chefs were shouting their regards to him. Mostly it was _"Good night, master Haku"_ or _"Pleasant evening, master Kohaku" _but he didn't respond back, he just nodded. Chihiro saw that all of the spirits beside them were frowning their noses but they didn't dare say anything about that obviously awful smell that was coming from her because they obviously thought it was coming from Haku and he was, well...a dragon and it is wise not to tell a dragon that he stinks.

Only one restaurant's chef on the very end of the restaurants' street shouted to Haku: "Ohh Haku, you stink! Take a bath!" Chihiro couldn't see what he looked like because of many spirits that were gathered around his restaurant but she concluded from his voice that he was young. Haku, surprisingly, answered him coolly:"Good night to you too, Kai." But it didn't seem that he was offended, actually Chihiro could have sworn that she saw that corners of his mouth curved op slightly.

They passed the restaurants and started climbing the stairs in front of the big clock tower. It was old and wasted but it was still working properly - it showed that it was almost 1'o clock. One yunna from the bathhouse was passing beside them so she greeted Haku - as usually, she greeted him with "master Haku".

It suddenly hit Chihiro. "Why are they calling you"master Haku"? Do you still work in bathhouse?" she asked very quietly. Haku was frowning as he stopped in the middle of the stairs and faced her not so precisely because she was still invisible. His emerald eyes shoved Chihiro that he is afraid how she would react. He sighted and said: "Well, I..." but he didn't have a chance to finish his sentence. He was cut off by a very loud cry: "Master Haku! Oh, good that you are here!"

Haku swore under his breath and turned around to face the bathhouse foreman. He was panting and in desperate need to tell Haku the problem but the foreman still remembered his manners and bowed low to his superior before continuing: "One of our guests is complaining about our special herbal mixture. He said that he is "allergic" to vanilla but we don't know what that means! He has requested to speak to you. Come!" Foreman started pulling Haku's arm. Haku wanted to say something but the persistent foreman interrupted him raising an eyebrow at him. "With my entire respect master, did you know that you smell bad? I suggest you to take a bath before facing our lovely guest." Chihiro didn't hear what Haku answered because foreman started pulling his arm towards the big bridge.

That was the time when Chihiro first noticed the bathhouse. She stooped in the middle of the street, fascinated with the huge building in front of her. It looked actually the same as she remembered. The bathhouse was built in the middle age Japanese style and painted with red just like the big bridge that lead to it. At the big front door stood couple of yunnas that were welcoming all kinds of spirits who came to the bathhouse to enjoy themselves in the bathing in the Kamayi's well mixed herbs or check into special made suits.

The bathhouse was full of such a magic that Chihiro broke away her glaring only when someone bumped into invisible her. Spirits that were passing beside her were frowning their noses because of her smell, well those who had noses. Haku was gone and there was she could go to the bathhouse without rising at attention on her smell. She could only go to the only one person who was all alone and who will help her to become visible again. Kamayi.

Chihiro carefully opened the small back wooden door so that nobody would see that the door was opening by themselves. She came to the long stairway and murmured: "I hate this!" The climbing down the numberless stairs came out pretty well except the fact that she bumped into a wall again. The sound of her head hitting the firm wall and her shouted swore after that echoed all the way up to pigpens. She wrapped her hand around her aching head and with other hand opened the back door of a boiler room.

Chihiro slowly entered the hot room but there was no sign of Kamayi on his work place or from little soot balls. She jumped a little hearing a well known raspy voice that yelled: "Who are you and why did you come to my boiler room at this time of the night? Don't even try to lie to me! I'm old but I'm not a fool and I got my personal guards here to protect me!" If Kamayi has not said that in such a threatening and serious voice Chihiro would have laughed.

She said as calmly as she could not turning around to the direction from where the Kamayi's old voice came: "It's me, Chihiro! Haku put a spell on me so spirits can't see me but then he needed to go to the bathhouse and I didn't know where to go."

"Sen?" came sudden reply. The voice seemed to lighten up a bit but only for a second. "How do you know about her? She left eleven years ago to go to the human world and as far as I know she is still there! I don't believe you!" Chihiro turned at the voice direction but she didn't see him. She cried: "Well, I am Sen! Ask me something that only I know!" She couldn't think of anything else. It works in movies, than it must work here, too.

"Well, let's see..." came Kamayi's reply. "What did I say to Lin when she asked me who are you? Only real Sen would know that." Chihiro smiled and sighed. _That is easy_ she thought. She answered: "You said that I'm your granddaughter."

Chihiro didn't have any live grandfathers so Kamayi was a good replacement. She patiently waited for his response. Suddenly she heard the loud sound of something hitting the floor. She turned her head at that direction and saw Kamayi hidden behind a big boiler. He dropped the broom he took for a self defense although he held her with all of his six arms. He wore something like gray pajamas with the white stripes on it. He even had a night cap in the same color. Chihiro saw the surprised look on his old, wrinkled face. "Sen? Are you really here?" he asked uncertainly. "Yes." answered Chihiro.

Kamayi rushed towards her almost missing her and hugged her tightly with his six arms. "Your voice is different. I wish I could see you all grown up. Wait, I think i have something for that." Kamayi quickly released her and rushed to his shelves full of herbs. He opened one shelf and took one red something-like-stem. He crushed it and blew it to Chihiro. She coughed and asked hopefully: "Can you see me?" Kamayi answered sadly: "No. I'm afraid that my Harebell is no match for Haku's spell. I always underestimate him. But it is all good. We will just wait for him to find you and make you visible again. Now sit over there while I make us some rosehip tea."

He reached for a tea pot under his work desk while Chihiro was making herself comfortable on the floor before the empty soot balls' area. "Ohh Kamayi, what did you mean when you said that you have your personal guards around here?" asked Chihiro curiously.

Kamayi roamed around the tea cups. "I forgot about them." said Kamayi picking the tea cups and adding flavor to the tea that was boiling on the something like stove. "Come out, it's Sen!" he yelled not so gently.

Chihiro heard silent commotion and soon her legs were full of black soot balls who cheerfully tickled her feet. "Well, I lied about that. They wouldn't protect me, they are cowards." said Kamayi sipping the hot tea into two red tea cups and offering one to Chihiro. "Don't get me wrong, but I think that you didn't show some courage either. What did you want to do with that broom? Hit me or sweep me?" chuckled Chihiro. "I was just doing my pre-bed-time cleaning after those little rascals when I heard a loud bump and someone shouting two incredibly rude words and all I had were a broom and a dustpan. I wisely chose the broom."

Chihiro flushed at the fact that her almost-grandfather heard her swear and drank the hot tea that made her look even more scarlet. "I thought that you were some sort of an invisible demon but your smell gave a little away but at that time I wasn't thinking with my wrinkled nose." said Kamayi with small grin on his black face. "I don't stink! Why everybody keeps saying that?" cried Chihiro. "I guess we aren't used to humans. But don't worry. In a few days your smell will go away." said Kamayi gently but then turning seriously: "You plan on staying here for a little while, don't you?" Chihiro was caught out guard. She didn't think about that. "I don't know." she said honestly "I didn't think about that when Haku came for me. All that I was thinking at that moment was that I want to get away somewhere." sighed Chihiro.

"Haku came for you? He went to your world?" gasped Kamayi. Chihiro confirmed and started telling him her little New Years' eve adventure. "I was at the New Years' eve party when I found out...something and then I went home. When I got close to the forest where the gates once where, I felt something that told me that I need to go there so I went. It was very dark but I wasn't afraid because I went there occasionally when I was younger. It took me little while to find a path but then I saw him. Well, I didn't know for sure that that was really him but his eyes gave him away..."

Kamayi was patiently listening her story while sipping his rosehip tea. When Chihiro finished Kamayi was asking her about human world. Chihiro also found out that spirits don't celebrate New Year because years mean a little to immortals. She was just explaining him what "allergic" means when they heard a loud bump and some hissed unusual swear. Chihiro felt afraid but Kamayi just said: "Haku."

"How do you know that?" asked Chihiro suddenly curious. "I can feel his aura. And also he has a unique type of swearing." Kamayi chuckled.

They heard the cracking of the back door and the panting Haku came in. He had one hand covering his head and he looked angry. "You really should blow up that evil wall, Kamayi!" he hissed glaring at the old boiler man who was sitting on the floor next to the floating red tea cup.

"There you are, Chihiro. I looked everywhere for you. I even went to the lake again and Rose wasn't very pleased when I woke her up." said Haku. Chihiro asked him:

"Can you take this spell of me, please?" Haku nodded and the she felt that sensation again, like the fire has been moving from her head to toe. She didn't feel any different but she realized that she is visible again when Kamayi suddenly dropped his tea cup and got on his feet urging Chihiro to do the same. He gasped:

"Oh my, you have grown up into a beautiful young lady! At some way I still expected to see that little girl with red cheeks and a pony tail." He was grinning from ear to ear and took Chihiro by her hands. "Look Haku how eleven years' period can make such a difference on a human!" But Haku wasn't looking at Chihiro. He was looking down like he was listening to something. Suddenly, he faced Chihiro and asked:

"Did someone follow you through the gates?"

**You like it? NO – sorry, I'll try my best to improve it. YES – then click that pretty button over there.**


	5. With the wind

**A/N. HAPPY ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY! It's been exactly one year since I have started writing River Flows in You. I have published 4 chapters, received 10 lovely reviews, 13 awesome people became followers and 8 even more awesome people listed my fanfiction as their favorite. Thank you :) **

**Warning: This chapter in un-betaed. Beware of my silly mistakes.**

**DISCLAMER: I don't own Spirited Away. All rights go to the Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli.**

**CHAPTER 5: **

"Chihiro, did someone follow you to the forest back in your world?" Haku repeated the question, his eyes glinting anxiously on Chihiro. The human girl gave him a puzzled look, confused by his sudden question. She tried hard to remember had she seen or heard something behind her on her way to the forest. Her memories were hazy, though she remembered hearing not-so-harmonized chorus from the slightly tipsy New Year's welcomers at the town's square. She remembered not being able to see very well due to her tears that were blurring her vision. Wait, why was she crying?

"Chihiro, please answer me!" the loud commanding voice broke her train of thoughts and made her remember the anxious dragon beside her who demanded an answer to his silly question.

"I can't remember very well but I think nobody was following me." she answered honestly.

Haku turned to face the old boiler man in his grey pajamas who was refilling his tea. "Someone crossed the gates", he stationed, "I'm going to take care of it. You look after her while I'm gone." Kamayi nodded and yawned, shuffling his tea. Haku turned around to leave, only stooped at the door by Chihiro's loud shout.

"Can anybody tell me what is going on?" she asked slightly feeling neglected. Haku opened his mouth in a reply but Kamayi spoke first : "Some human come to our world. Haku is going to see who it is and send him back before he starts vanishing after about half an hour."

"How do you know that? And how 'half an hour'? I started vanishing after only 5 minutes."

Now, Haku was first to reply : " The first time when you came here, you started vanishing that early because your parents were with you. More humans at the same time means shorter vanishing period. And this time you started vanishing after only 5 minutes because you had been here before. Humans aren't supposed to come here not once, let alone twice. It's the world's reaction to it and it wants to prevent it. But when you eat something from it, you adapt to it for a short period. Understood?" Chihiro nodded slowly though not really understanding that part where Spirit World has its own mind.

Haku continued: "When some human crosses the gates, it creates some kind of wind that we, high ranked spirits like me, can sense at the long distances. It is some kind of call of duty to us to take care of any stray humans."

"Like me and my parents eleven years ago."

"Yes", said Haku with a small smile, "now I need to go."

"I wanna go, too. I want to see who it is." Chihiro demanded.

"Chihiro, it's too risky. You could be seen outside of the bathhouse and I had already told you what might happen then." Haku said softly to the displeased looking female.

"I know, but you can make me invisible again, right?" she asked hopefully. Haku sighed. She was right. Who would have known that humans are so clever when it comes of getting their own way with someone? "Fine. But we are not going through a main entrance. I'm sick of spirits' thinking how I stink." he said while pushing the door wide open and ushering Chihiro outside before him as the cold air came rushing to the hot boiler room.

"You are saying that _I _stink?" Chihiro frowned, slightly raising her voice. The dragon quickly regretted his comment and mentally curses himself. The angry looking human stood before him, arms crossed and her killer gaze not leaving his eyes. He knew his lie would be see-through to her so he needed to be brutally honest. He could do it, Haku though to himself. He was a dragon after all. He took a deep breath and started gently: "Well, Chihiro..."

"Khm!" Kamayi coughed from the boiler room trying to get their attention. Haku gave a sigh of relief, thanking God for Kamayi's interruption and wondering did the boiler man do that on purpose - waited for Haku to nearly faint. Chihiro's gaze left his eyes as she stepped through the door into the boiler room again. "What?" she asked slightly irritated.

"Didn't you two forget something?" Kamayi asked with a knowing smirk.

"Nope." Haku said certainly, pushing his head through the door to face the grinning boiler man.

"I knew that humans are forgettable creatures but what is your excuse, Haku, hm?

(-)(-)(-)(-)

Haku was leading her through numberless stairs up and then around the bathhouse and then down, down on some narrow path. None of the customers were passing that way so it wasn't as crowded as it would be if they went through the bridge and the restaurants' area. Also, Chihiro was invisible so she didn't fear of being seen.

It was well past midnight. It wasn't snowing anymore but the cold breeze was still there, making Chihiro's invisible shoulders shudder. Soon, they reached the lake's shore. The darkness decreased a bit so Chihiro could see that the shore here was steep and very uneven on both sides. She felt a fire wave heading from her head to toe as Haku removed the invisible spell from her. He stood before her, gazing at the lake' waves that were silently crashing on the shore.

"How will we cross it?" Chihiro asked, hoping that she wouldn't somehow have to walk it over again.

"I can't put a bridge here because the shore is too steep. We will have to do it by magic."

"How?"

"I'll show you. Grab my arm tightly." He indicated her to come closer and lended her a hand. She took a hold of it, waiting for something to happen. Suddenly, his skin under her hand turned hot like fire. It tickled her fingers but she didn't let go. She closed her eyes and scooted closer to him, enjoying the heat his body was providing in a cold winter's night. The strange sensation spread over her veins, like fire itself. But it didn't burn her. As soon as she realised what is that, it was gone. The heat disappeared, too. Though her eyes were still closed, she could see that they were now standing in a much darker place. Slowly opening them, the great big plains illuminated by a bright moonlight came into view. No lake, just plains. Confused, the human girl turned around to see where the big lake might had gone. And there it was, behind them. They were now standing on a second shore. Suddenly, Harry Potter image popped up in her mind.

"Did we just...apparated?" she asked astonishingly, letting go of the calmer-than-he-should-be looking dragon.

"I'm not familiar with that term..but yes." He answered casually.

"Why didn't we just pop out like that the first time? Did you deliberately make me cross the lake over?" Chihiro snapped.

"No!" Haku waved his hands protectively in front of himself. " I do that only at situations like this when we can't cross it by foot. It's rude to cross someone's land like that. Rose is usually mad at trespassers and I think she won't be very pleased with us now, either."

"Should we apologize?"

"Maybe later. First we need to find that human."

They carefully walked over to gates, searching for any sign of the stray human. The gates looked really threatening - alone in middle of a big plain and surrounded with thick darkness. They came close to it, looking around but not finding anything. The pair was just about to leave to search somewhere else when they heard something. Quiet sobs were lingering on a light breeze, surrounding them. The noise made goose bumps on Chihiro's hands. She and Haku hurried to the source of it realising that it comes from the left side of the tunnel. Haku went slowly ahead mimicing Chihiro to slow her steps not to startle the human. Stepping closer, they saw a crunching figure near the big stone. Human's face couldn't be seen due to the darkness but Chihiro could easily discern a red coat which the human was wearing and a yellow cap on it's head. The yellow cap with a picture of snowman on it. And Chihiro knew only one person who would wear it.

"Miyuki?" Chihiro gasped.

The human slowly raised her head and looked at Chihiro, not believing her eyes. She asked quietly, her throat dry from crying: "Chihiro?"

Chihiro flinched. She have never thought that she would see her best friend so...scared. She rushed towards her and pulled her to her feet. Miyuki hugged her with all of her strenght and Chihiro responded in same.

"Chihiro, I'm so sorry for saying that I don't believe you!" the woman in red coat shouted through tears.

Chihiro said honestly: "You hurt me pretty bad..."

"I'm so sorry!"

"...but I forgive you. I know that your tounge in quicker than your mind. Also, you know that I can't stay mad for long." They both chuckled, still hugging each other like their lives depend on it. Haku watched them for a distance, not wanting to interupt their moment of...what they are doing. It was quite a rare sight to see such a deep bond between friends. Spirits are mostly cold creatures, their emotions buried deep in a well of time and shared only by their most precious ones. The immortality is such a big burden for someone to carry without anyone to help you, without anyone with whom you could share your centuries with. He almost lost his loved ones due to his foolishness and is regretting ever since. _I should visit them soon_, he thought to himself.

Suddenly a loud scream broke his deep thoughts. Haku could see the fading moonlight illuminating through Chihiro's friend while she exeminated her hands. He pulled out a rice ball wrapped in a tissue from his pocket and finally approaching the two humans.

"Eat this. You will be fine." he offered a rice ball to a fading human whose mouth flew wide open at the sigh of him. Chihiro then remembered that he was even there and send him an apologetic smile. "Miyuki, this is Haku", she said to her astonished friend. Miyuki took the rice ball from Haku's hand and ate it, still staring at him. Haju found that rather unpleasant.

"He is a dragon?" Miyuki asked still staring at him.

"Yes", Chihiro confirmed.

"He doesn't look dragon...ish." Miyuki disclaimed.

Haku rolled his eyes. Then, in an explosion of bright light, he turned himself into big white dragon. He had green mane on his head and sharp looking claws. His white scales were shining on the moonlight. He was glorious, trully representing the mighty creature from the past. But his eyes remained the same. Beautifully shaped and green, so green like the emerald itself. But his dragon form lasted only for couple of seconds until he turned himself back into human form, with bright lightening of course.

"Satisfied?" he asked twitching his eyebrow.

"Aha", Miyuki slowly nodded, still in shock but she was not the only one. Chihiro was also pretty astonished, too. She has seen him doing that before but you can't see a man turning himself into a dragon every day, can you?

The long silence spread over them while the human women composed themselves. Miyuki was first to speak: "So...where are we, exactly?"

"In the Spirit World." Chihiro answered.

"Huh..." Miyuki sighed. "How will I get back?"

"In the same way you came here. Through the tunnel." Haku pointed to the big building behind them.

"And how did you come here, anyway? How did you find the tunnel?" Chihiro asked Miyuki.

"I followed you when you ran away from the square. You dropped this." Miyuki reached for her pocket and pull out a piece of paper. It was a New Year's card that Chihiro wrote for Haku. Chihiro immediately reached for her pocket where it should be only to find it empty. She must have dropped it while trying to make her way through crowd.

Miyuki continued: "I read it and saw how much I had hurt you saying that he isn't real. So I followed you to apologize. First I thought that you went home but your parents told me that they haven't seen you since you left the house. I think I scared them a little bit, not knowing where you are but I told them not to worry. And then I sighted that forest where you used to make me go with you for searching for the 'gates to the other world'. I kinda had a feeling that you are there so I went, too. It was so dark and creepy but it was a good thing that I had my mobile phone as flashlight. I almost gave up on trying to find you when I saw your mobile on the ground. And then I saw that creepy little statue. And then the tunnel. And here I am now." Miyuki grinned. "So...here you are." she gave the card to Haku. "It's meant for you, anyway." she glanced at Chihiro who nodded. Haku took the card and placed it in his pocket, saving it for later.

Miyuki glared at him. "I need to tell Chihiro something." she said to him.

"So why are you looking at me?" Haku exclaimed.

"Because I need to tell something to Chihiro _only!_"

"So tell her!"

"So leave!"

"So say so!" Haku cried, looking frustrated. "I don't know your human's code!" he walked away, leaving the two humans alone.

"Wow. He has got hot temper. Was he like that the last time you saw him?" Miyuki asked eyeing the fuming dragon that was leaning on the gates, his emerald eyes shining in the darkness.

"No, now that I think about it, he wasn't like that." said Chihiro." I think that's because of the spell Yubaba had put on him."

"Who's Yubaba?" Miyuki questioned

"The old witch with enormous head."

"Good one or bad one?"

"Bad one. She put some kind of worm in him so he would be obedient."

"Worm? Yuck!" Miyuki put on her disgusting face. "Wait, why are we talking about some old hag when we should gossip about that handsome dragon?" she questioned with a grin on her face. "Does he spit fire?"

"I think he doesn't."

"How old is he?"

Chihiro remembered their talk in the woods."Too old. He said he could be my great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather."

"He doesn't look like a grandpa to me. Though it's kinda nasty that _that_ old guy has a crush on 21-year old." She smirked mischievously.

"He doesn't have a crush on me!" Chihiro exclaimed, the blush rising to her cheeks.

"I don't think so."

"We are just friends. Besides, I'm leaving in the couple of days."

"What? You are not leaving with me? What will your parents think?" Miyuki cried, suddenly changing her mood from teasingly-gossip one to teary-eyed one.

"I don't know. You need to tell them the thruth, or else my dad would call the police to go look for me." Chihiro remembered the last time when that happened and she certainly didn't want to happen again.

"But they won't believe me!"

"Perhaps. But you are excellent at convincong people, you even convinced me to go to the party. Use that skill."

"I will try. But come soon!" She hugged her again, pushing the precious air out of her lungs.

"I will. Don't worry about that."

"How can I not worry when you have here that dragon? If I'm on your place I would lock him in a room with me and we wouldn't get out for at least a week!"

Chihiro laughed. "Yeah, but I'm not that type."

"You could be if you just let yourself." Miyuki turned on her business-like voice: " If you don't like dragons, I know some Bob who..."

"Ok, I think it's time for you to go." Chihiro said slightly annoyed and started pulling her friend by her hand towards the gates.

"Fine. But I am leaving just because I don't like it here. It's scary."

"I think it's beautiful." Chihiro said with a small smile. Miyuki hugged her one last time.

"Goodbye, Miyuki!"

"Bye, Chihiro! Bye, dragon-boy!" She waved to Haku who waved back a little taken aback by his new nickname.

Chihiro watched her dissapier into the darkness of the tunnel when something crossed her mind.

"Miyuki, don't look back!" she shouted into the darkness

"Why?" came the faint reply.

"I don't know! Just don't!"

As she watched the tunnel, she felt a little saddened by her friend's leave. It was good to have some like you here. Now, she would once again be the only human around.

Chihiro felt the familiar scent behind her.

"Shall we go back?" she heard a light voice asking her.

"Yes." They slowly turned around and started marching toward the bathhouse. They spot the lake quickly.

Chihiro didn't know will they cross it by bridge or simply pop out but she was certain that that 'Hmm' sound that came from Haku as he gazed at the lake wasn't a good sign.

"What is it?" she questioned the dragon.

"Remember when I told you that Rose might be angry at us for crossing her lake by 'popping out', as you would say?" Haku asked sheepishly.

"Yes..."

"Well, she is. She doesn't allow me to put a bridge over it nor cross it in any other way using magic."

"How will we cross it then?"

"Unless you're in the mood for midnight swimming in the frozen lake, I think we must wait for the daylight for lake to disappear again. It's only a two or three hours away."

Haku prepared himself for the worst but all he got was a tired 'Okay' and a yawn. "Just okay? You aren't going to shout at me and be all the 'human'?" he asked the tired looking woman.

"No. I'm too tired for arguing. Can you at least make a fire or something? It's cold." Chihiro said while rubbing her arms.

"Of course."

The fire soon went floating in the air trapped in some kind of transparent ball. Haku also made a couple of blankets that he laid down on the snow covered ground saying it's 'snow-proof'. They sat there, each of them with an other blanket on their shoulders. Chihiro watched the stars. It was fortunate that it wasn't snowing anymore so the mass of twinkling stars could clearly be seen on the night sky. They looked somehow different, like the each of them is special and different in some way from the others. Despite her tiredness, she asked curiously: "Why does it seem that each star is unique in some way?"

"Because they are." Haku answered simply

"I have never seen that in my world."

"It can't be seen there. In your world they represent just glowing masses but here they represent something different."

"What?" she asked, not really getting it.

"Us. Spirits. Each spirit has it's own star. And each spirit is unique in some way, and so are the stars."

"What do you do with your star?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" Chihiro was confused.

"When we are born, so is the star. When and if we die, our star dies, too."

Chihiro immediately thought of falling stars. It is said that if you see a falling star, you make a wish and it will come true. It was somehow sad that with each fallen star, one life has ended.

"Which one is yours?"

"I can't tell you that. It's strictly forbidden showing your star to someone. We here have a bonding ceremony when two spirits bond to each other. I don't know what is called on your world. To fulfil the ceremony, each spirit must guess other spirit's star. If they do that, it means that they really are soul mates."

"I don't think that any average human could do this."

"It probably wouldn't."

There was a silence once more. Chihiro was gazing at the starts, still wondering which one is Haku's when she heard a cough from him that was telling her that he is about to start a serious topic.

"Now, when your friend crossed the Gated to return to your world, nobody from will be able to come to this world."

"Why?" Chihiro asked, confused.

"The gates are made to let three persons from your world to this world and three persons from this world to go to your world. After that, they disappear and reappear again after unknown amount of time. Eleven years ago, those three persons were you and your parents on both ways. Because of that, the gates disappeared."

"That's why I couldn't find them. That's why you never came for me like you promised until now…" Chihiro concluded. Haku gave her an apologetic smile.

"Yeah. Sorry about not telling you that that would happen. I kinda had other problems to deal with."

"And that reminds me...You never answered my question." Chihiro send him a dark gaze.

"What question?" Haku asked with feigned innocence.

"Why does the bathhouse staff call you 'master' Haku? Are you still working there?"

"That's two questions."

"Haku!"

"Fine", the dragon sighed heavily,"Yes, I'm still working in the bathhouse. After you had left, I did what I said I would do. I faced Yubaba and told her that I quit being her apprentice. She was so furious. I think whole bathhouse heard our 'conversation' that day. She even wanted to bribe me for staying - she said that if I stay she would give me a thousand fried tritons ", Haku smiled at that thought, "I must admit, it was appealing but she still couldn't make me stay. I had my name, thanks to you, so I could easily leave. So I left. I went to look for my river. It wasn't an easy task but with my restored memories I finally found it couple of days later. It was completely destroyed in your world due to the apartments that were built over it, but it managed to survive in this world. It was in pitiful shape. All that was left of it was a small puddle and a dry river bed. So I restored it. It took me three years and all of my energy, but I made just like it was before. It was free to flow again. It was beautiful, though, I think it would look just like an ordinary river to you."

"No, I think not. Nothing in this world is ordinary." Haku grinned. She really was attached to this world.

"What happened next?" Chihiro asked curiously

"With my work well done, I went home."

"Home?" That word confused Chihiro. She thought that bathhouse was his home.

"Yes, where my parents live." And those words even more confused her. She has never really thought about the fact that Haku has parents. He has always seemed so independent.

"You have parents?"

"Well, yeah! Everybody has parents, even mighty dragons." he teased.

"Where so they live?"

"Far away from here. Up east."

"So how did you end up in a bathhouse, anyway?"

He sighed. "It all started with pancakes."

"Pancakes?" Chihiro raised her eyebrow.

"Yes. My mother has just made me pancakes and...I told her that they suck. Female dragons are very hot tempered. Even more than us, males. And she was in very bad mood that day. So when I told her that her pancakes are awful, she started throwing things at me. Plates, panes and all."

The wave of laughter escaped Chihiro's lips, imagining that scene.

"It's not funny!" Haku exclaimed to the giggling human. "I barely managed to escape through the window. I decided that it would be the best to leave my mother alone for some time. So I flew to the forest. I often went there when I was angry or bored but if I knew what would happen next, I would have never leave the house." Haku's tone turned very serious. "I was flying when it happened. A stab of pain that made me dizzy. My chest hurt like hell. I though it was going to burst but then I blacked out."

Chihiro questioned: "Why...?"

"In that moment humans just destroyed my river."

Hearing those words, Chihiro felt very guilty and ashamed for being a part of the humankind. Who knew how many other river, lakes, swamps they destroyed and how many other spirits experienced the face Haku experienced? Haku must have felt the tension in the air as he murmured softly that it was not her fault. And then he continued: "I woke up a few hours later in a very colorful and highly decorated room with some lady with really big head."

"Yubaba?"

"Yes. I think she found me and realised what happened to me. She saw that I'm very powerful and that I will be very confused and dissorianted when I wake up due to the lost of my river. She used that oportunity to offer me a job in her bathhouse. In my dragon form she saw a real threat that I may cause to her salespersons if they refuse to pay or lower the price. I accepted the offer not really knowing in what I was putting myself into. As I signed the contract, I forget my name and my past and I became her apprentice. I was forced to do her dirty work, stealing, 'convincing' someone to lower their price for special herbs and that stuff. Until you came." He smiled.

"How long did you work there?"

"83 years."

"And what happened when you came home after all of the years?" Chihiro asked. If she went missing for a couple of years, her parents would have turn the country upside down to find her.

"My parents almost suffocated me while hugging me. I hadn't seen my father before crying. My mother kept apologising for yelling at me over said that they were searching for me everywhere. They thought I was kidnapped or dead even. When I told them about Yubaba's _deal _with me, my mother went to bathhouse, yelled at everyone, burned half of Yubaba's office and before I knew it, I became an owner of the 49% of the bathhouse."

"What?"

"Yubaba agreed to give me some stocks in exchange for 'taking her son away, enslaving him and making him do awful stuff'. That day Yubaba learned that that wise phrase '_Do not meddle with the affairs of dragons'_ actually refers to female dragons." Chihiro laughed. She never thought that anybody could yell at Yubaba, let alone take her bathhouse.

"I didn't even ask for it!"Haku continued." My mother told me that she meant to find me something to do, anyway. And that's how I became in charge of the finances of the bathhouse. I have one assistant who does the most of my paperwork. I can go as I please, actually everybody can do that now. I returned their names and started giving them vacations and sick days and pay them, of course. Everybody is happier now, except Yubaba."

"Then it's good thing that you work there."

"Yes."

After a little more of chit-chating, the cold winter sun appeared on the horizon. In that moment, the big lake vanished with a barely audibly pop. It reveiled the big plains covered in snow. The lights of the restaurants began to quench and soon the spirits left, leaving the crowded restaurants' area empty. Haku was first to rose on his feet. "Shall we?" He helped Chihiro to get on her feet. As they were passing by the restaurants, Chihiro sighted that one of them has engaraved _a year of a dragon_ with curly letters and next to it a small dragon, Japanese like. She remembered then that she hasn't congratulated New Year to Haku.

"Happy New Year, Haku." She said while entwining her fingers with his.

"Happy New Year, Chihiro."

**A/N. That phrase about dragons actually goes **_**Do not meddle in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup **__**but I think that they don't have ketchup in spirit world :)**_


	6. 31 days to know you

**A/N My new beta is MadCatta. She deserves credit for making this chapter a lot better. Big thank you!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Spirited Away. I'm just messing with it.**

**Chapter 6: 31 DAYS TO KNOW YOU**

"Sen!" A loud shout woke the young woman who had been sleeping in a warm bed. Sunshine shone through the big windows giving her a hard time opening her eyes. As Chihiro struggled to open them, she was able the glimpse the cream coloured room. For a moment, the human thought she was in 'her world', waking up after a long New Year's Eve party, but then it all came back to her as she realized this wasn't her bed nor her room. And who was that person who woke her up so rudely with her long forgotten name?

Chihiro sat up against her headboard and rubbed her eyes to rid them of tiredness, and scanned the room looking for an intruder. Her sleepy gaze fell on the familiar figure standing on a doorway. Pink working clothes, long chestnut hair, pale skin. A person whom she once knew a long time ago.

As Chihiro gasped her name, the woman in the doorway dropped the tray she was holding and rushed towards her, leaving the door wide open. Chihiro jumped at the sound before the woman came to her bed and hugged her. The bone-crushing hug pressed her hands tightly to her sides, rendering her immobile.

"I knew you would come back, Sen! I knew you would never forget us!" She said, her voice familiar but shaky. Chihiro relaxed in her embrace, letting her old friend soak her pajamas with tears. Tears of happiness, Chihiro presumed. After all, it had been eleven years since they had last met.

"How could I forget my friends, Lin?" she replied gently. There was a whole-hearted laugh as Lin pulled away, looking gently at her with teary brown eyes. Lin hadn't changed a bit. She looked exactly the same as the last time Chihiro has seen her. The same brown eyes were examining her, clearly trying to find what was left of that young girl with a cute ponytail Chihiro once was.

Not finding what she was looking for in the features of the 21-year-old woman lying in the bed in front of her, Lin pulled her on her feet to examine her more closely.

Chihiro was hit with slight vertigo at standing so suddenly. And the spinning around probably hadn't helped. Chihiro laughed at her friend's frowning face as she compared their heights and saw that Chihiro was now taller than her.

"I assume you have never seen an aging human before?" Chihiro asked, an amusing smirk playing on her lips. Lin smiled too, the frown gone from her pale face. "No, I haven't. It's so strange," she exclaimed. "You were so little and look at you now! You're taller than me!" If Lin hadn't had that huge grin on her face Chihiro would have thought she is putting about her height.

"Did you eat anything, Sen?" she asked. Chihiro shock her head. Indeed, she hadn't eaten anything since the dinner with her parents that seemed so long time ago.

"I'm going to get you something to eat. Stay here."

Lin rushed out of the room and closed the door behind her, leaving Chihiro alone in the room. A movement in the window caught Chihiro's attention. Small white crystals were slowly melting on the outside surface of the window. _It's snowing again_, Chihiro thought and shivered from the cold breeze coming through the window. She rubbed her arms, feeling the silk material of her new violet pajamas. Haku had given them to her to sleep in when he brought her here.

The bathhouse was empty when they entered it; bathhouse workers had already been and gone, resting after a long, busy night. _I should get used to the bathhouse's sleeping pattern_, Chihiro thought as she gazed at the fading sunlight on the almost night sky. She had just woken up and it was already night.

She grabbed her clothes and went to a white door across from her bed which, she assumed, led to the bathroom. Pushing the door open, she was pleasantly surprised by a big marble bathtub that occupied the most of the space. Next to the bathtub there stood a white table. Lavender flowers, burdock root, mullein leaf... all kinds of carefully mixed herbs were placed on it. Chihiro made a mental note to use them later with a long bath, hoping they'd rid her of the ache in her back. Sitting on the ground for hours didn't seem to do her any wonders.

She changed her clothes quickly, hearing Lin's return, and passed a glance in the mirror. She attempted to comb her messy hair with her fingers until she noticed the purple hair band on her wrist. She left the bathroom and rejoined Lin, thoughts wandering to visiting Granny, the witch who'd given her the hair band.

Lin was already putting the plates on a small dining table near the window. It smelled so delicious and Chihiro realized just how hungry she was. Making herself comfortable on the table, the human woman eyed suspiciously the beans on her plate. They were covered with some kind of purple mucus. While Chihiro loved purple as a color, the taste she was a little dubious of.

Poking it with her chop-stick, she asked raising an eyebrow, "What is that?"

"Trust me, you don't want to know." Lin answered with a knowing smirk. "But it tastes good and it is all they had in the kitchen. Lunch passed a long time ago." Feeling slightly ashamed that she had slept over the breakfast and lunch, Chihiro carefully sticked one purple bean on the chop-stick hoping they tasted better than they looked.

After emptying the plate free of the purple slime, Chihiro had to admit it was a rather good meal. There was no trace of the golden sunlight now; instead darkness was filling the room. She helped Lin clean up the plates and then they sat together on the couch. Lin broke the comfortable silence, enquiring after the eleven years since they'd last met, what had Sen been up to? Chihiro actually thought her life rather dull, other for the time as a young girl she had accidentally stumbled into the magical world. But after that, everything was…well, normal.

"I went to a new school," Chihiro started, "It was really scary because I didn't know anybody, but after a few days I met a girl named Miyuki. She asked me to be her new best friend because she had just fallen out with her previous one." Chihiro smiled at the memory. "I accepted and I'm glad that I did. She really made those four years in that school better. We slowly became, well, best friends. Miyuki is the only one whom I have told about all of this," Chihiro gestured at the air, trying to reach to the magic within it. Magic, magical world, magical creatures…all of that she kept hidden from her family.

Lin looked at her, confused. "You didn't tell your parents? Why?"

Chihiro shook her head. "No, I knew they wouldn't believe me. Only Miyuki believed me," Lin watched Chihiro's gaze fall, "or so I thought," her voice small and distant.

"She didn't believe you?"

"No, she didn't. But it doesn't matter. She believes me now when she saw with her own eyes that this world exists."

Upon seeing the confused look in Lin's eyes, Chihiro explained. "She followed me here. But she went back to our world, though." The spirit's eyes widened. "She crossed the gates?" Lin asked uncertainly. "That means..." her brow furrowed in concentration as she started counting,"...Haku, your friend and you crossed the gates and came to this world. And Haku and your friend crossed the gates and came to your world."

"What?"

Lin looked at her, her gaze intense. "There is only one place left!"

Lin continued staring as the realization hit Chihiro. "That means when I go back to my world the gates will disappear again?"

She already knew the answer.

Lin nodded. She knew how much all of this meant to her. Sen had been waiting for eleven years to come back here, to be with them again. But how long would she have to wait the next time? A week? A year? Ten years? 100 years? Lin sighed. There was a chance the gates wouldn't open again in a human lifetime.

They might never see her again.

Lin tried to cheer her up. "Sen, don't be sad! You just got here. You don't plan on leaving us just yet, are you?"

Chihiro looked at her. "You're right. How long can I stay here, anyway?" If there was a possibility of never seeing her friends again, Chihiro wanted to stay as long as she could, without upsetting her parents too much. She wondered if Miyuki have told them about all of it yet...

"You can stay as long as you like. Certainly, the dragon made sure of that by giving you your own room so you won't have to squeeze with us in the sleeping chambers. Though, you'll have to work. But I think that won't be a problem 'cuz he won't let you scrub the floors again. He now has a final word around here."

"Yeah, he told me..."

Chihiro told Lin all about the discovery that Haku, a mighty dragon as he had called himself, had parents. Lin laughed at her and told her she was such a dope. "Everybody has parents," she said, repeating Haku's words.

Lin was surprised to learn Chihiro was going to be a doctor in a year's time. She told Chihiro that doctors were rare in the spirit world because only lower ranked spirits could get injured easily. High ranked spirits such as Haku or Yubaba could easily heal themselves from the injury, though there was an exception of injuries made by magic, and Chihiro found it fascinating that the magic within the powerful spirit could heal so easily.

A quiet knock interrupted the girls. Chihiro looked at Lin who shrugged. Chihiro got up and pulled open the wooden door, to reveal a young bathhouse worker. She reminded Chihiro of herself eleven years ago, in the same small pink uniform, brown hair and anxious expression. The girl looked terrified. "Foreman needs Mistress Lin to report to him!" She said, her voice trembling, then bowed clumsily and left the room as quickly as she could without falling flat on her little nose.

"What was that about?" Chihiro asked, raising an eyebrow at Lin.

"Don't worry about it. She's just never seen a human before."

"Do I look so different from you? I mean spirits in human form, not some radish or other vegetable spirits." Chihiro asked. Lin appraised her coolly.

"Not at all. You look completely the same. That's what terrifies us the most."

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

As it turned out, Chihiro didn't quite remember where Haku had said his room was, but Lin was able to point her in the right direction.

Lin pushed Chihiro out of the elevator. "Room 481." As she pulled the handle for going down, she added, in a more threatening tone, "Tell Haku I'm mad at him for not telling me you came. If Kamayi hadn't told me…" Lin continued to complain but she was now too far away for Chihiro to hear her.

From the very first floor Chihiro could hear chatter and commotion of the numberless bathhouse workers as they were preparing for their customer. This floor, however, was empty.

Chihiro was alone, standing in the middle of the big hallway. A thick sea green carpet covered the wooden floor. The walls were plastered with brown wallpapers with big green leaves of a plant Chihiro didn't know. Dozens of big wooden doors stood before her. Moving closer, Chihiro saw that every one of them had a silver number plate attached to it. 474. She followed them down to…

"Room 481. Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi" it read. Seeing the elaborate writing of his name, Chihiro suddenly felt small, insignificant_. Everything shows he is a god, even his name_, she thought.

She knocked on the door, wondering if he'd even hear her knock over the loud commotion from downstairs but it seemed that his dragonish hearing also worked in his human form. The door opened, revealing the familiar green eyed dragon. Dressed all in white, he looked imposing, but she noticed some tiredness in his expression. Nevertheless, he greeted her with a smile and let her into his room.

The room was pale green with big windows, which appeared to be a theme in the bathhouse. Light reflected by the moon illuminated a desk in the corner, piled high with stacks of paper. Haku had to be a one busy dragon.

"I was expecting you hours ago," Haku said, closing the door behind her. He walked past her and sat on the chair behind his desk, gesturing for her to do the same and she sat on a not so comfy chair opposite him.

Haku put his elbows on his desk and rested his head on his hands. He did look very tired; even his voice was off. "I started wondering; did you forget my office number."

Chihiro felt embarrassed. She had indeed done just that.

"I did," she admitted. "Lin helped me find you."

"You met Lin already?" Haku said, surprised. He wondered who told Lin that Chihiro came. Had someone seen them when they retreated to the bathhouse in the early morning? Had someone seen them holding hands? His heart rate sped up at the thought.

"Yes, Kamayi told her I came."

Haku sighed in relief. _So nobody saw us_, he thought. _I should be more careful, though_.

Oblivious to Haku's inner thoughts, Chihiro looked around the room. Unhomely came to mind as she saw the neat bookcases and unlit fireplace.

"Do you live in here?" she asked. A room that has been lived in should have a certain mess to it, but this room didn't even have his fingertips on his desk or glass or…anywhere.

Haku looked at her, still deep in his thoughts. "No. My private chambers are few stories above. This is just an office I share with my assistant."

"You have an assistant?"

Haku smiled wryly. "Yes. And a pesky one, too. Her name is Hillier but I'm afraid she isn't here right now. Her office is over there," he pointed to another door that Chihiro hadn't noticed. "She takes care of most of the paperwork; I'm just dealing with the most important ones." Chihiro eyed the unfinished pile of papers. If those were just the most important ones, how much could this Hillier be dealing with?

"I'll introduce you to her when she comes back. That should be tomorrow morning."

Chihiro nodded. Haku cleared his throat and his demeanor become more professional. "Now, we should discuss your stay here. How long are you planning to stay?"

"I don't know," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "I want to stay as long as I can because the gates will disappear again when I cross back."

"Oh, really?" Haku said, surprised. "I didn't think about that. I guess the visit of your friend made things a little complicated. If she hadn't come here, you would be able to visit us once more."

"Yeah, but it was worth it if she finally believed me." Chihiro smiled. "Why can only three people pass in the either direction? Why can't anyone just go through?"

Haku rose from his chair and went to the bookshelf. "It has a story behind it. A love story, actually," he said. His long fingers moved from book to book searching for the right one. "I'm not a very good story teller so I think a book would be a better for you." He found what he was looking for and returned to his seat holding a leather-bound book. He handed it to Chihiro.

"It's thick but it's rather interesting."

On the cover there were curvy golden letters that were forming a strange word.

"O-Kii-Mizu?"

"It is the name for ocean spirits: Pacific, Atlantis and Indian. This story is mainly based on the greatest one, Pacific, and his unfortunate love for a human girl."

It didn't help Chihiro to understand. "What does that have to do with the gates?" she asked.

"The gates were made because of that human girl. You'll found out why." He gestured to the book.

With Chihiro occupied, Haku pulled out a steaming kettle and two mugs. Chihiro wasn't sure where he'd got them from.

"Tea?" he asked, while pouring it out.

The tea smelled familiar. "It's the same tea Kamayi had," Chihiro realized. Haku nodded, bringing the tea cup to his lips. Chihiro did the same. She felt the familiar hot tingle run down her throat.

Just like the time when Haku put the invisible spell on her.

Chihiro narrowed her eyes at him.

"You put something in my tea, didn't you?"

Surprising, Haku met her eyes. "I just wanted you to feel a little better. You slept almost through the whole day and you still look tired." He looked so innocent that Chihiro couldn't quite hold a grudge against him. It was a strange feeling that someone could easily control your behavior or emotions. It wasn't an altogether nice feeling. She sighed. _I guess it can't be helped. He is a magical creature after all._

She brought her tea cup to her lips once again and felt that strange feeling again. Relaxation seemed to melt over her with this sip. Haku grinned impishly, satisfied that she trusted his motives.

"You could use that spell, too. You look like you haven't slept at all," she said. His hair covered his pale face as he pretended to occupy himself with paperwork.

The lack of response was very telling. "You haven't slept at all, have you?"

He glanced at the stack of paperwork in front of him.

"I didn't have time for sleeping. When I felt the gates opened, I left all of these," he pointed at his desk with the annoyed look, "and went and got you. When I returned to my office, they were still here, mocking me. So I had to finish them. I didn't even have time to tell Lin you came."

"She's mad at you because of that." Chihiro remembered Lin's expression, and added, "I think it's better for you to stay away from her for a while. Just in case." Haku smirked. "Yes, I should do that. She is pretty scary while mad. Do you want to work with her again?"

Chihiro smiled and nodded. "It would be nice. Just like old times." A memory of a huge black mass came to her mind. "Just without another No-Face incident, hopefully." They both laughed. It was funny how things changed over the years. _And not just things_, Haku thought glancing at Chihiro.

"Where is he now? Is he still at Zeniba's?" asked Chihiro.

"I honestly don't know," he replied, "I haven't been there since you left. You can visit her if you like. I may even accompany you." His gaze dropped to the paperwork. "If I ever finish those, of course," he said coldly.

Chihiro really wanted to see Granny again. She missed her over the years. She looked at the purple band on her wrist. "That would be nice."

There was a knock at the office door. Haku went to open it, and when Chihiro was left alone she turned to listen in on the conversation. She couldn't hear very much but perked up a bit at the dropping of her name.

"Yubaba wants to see you," said Haku, annoyed.

Chihiro frowned. "She knows I'm here?" He nodded. Seeing her expression, he added,"Don't worry, she won't turn you into a pig. She knows better than that now. She wants to hire you again, I think." He paused. "Either way, I'm coming with you," he said firmly.

Chihiro glanced at the tall pile of unfinished, important paperwork. "You don't have to if you have a work to do. I'll be fine."

There was stubbornness in Haku's expression. "No, I'm coming with you. I don't want you signing something that would make you her slave again."

"Can she do that? I thought things had changed?"

"She can't," Haku smirked. "But you never know what's going on in that big head of hers."

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

They needed to take another elevator because, Haku explained to Chihiro, the one she used to get to his office only went up one more floor, and they needed to go to the top of the building.

As they walked towards the second elevator, all around them bathhouse workers shouted, "Sen is back!"

Chihiro blushed as she followed Haku. She didn't expect to be welcomed like that, after all she did cause that No-Face incident when a couple of workers were eaten and, later on, were spilled out covered with slim. The sights of the smiling faces and cheers warmed her greatly and she beamed at them. She'd missed it here too.

Chihiro waved at the workers as they went up in the elevator. The mass turned into pink blur and the cheering quieted as the elevator kept going up, up through the heart of the bathhouse. Chihiro was able to see yunnas serving the guests as the elevator passed by the floors. When the elevator stopped, Haku gently pushed her out of it. "We must take another elevator from here. This one leads just to the second to last floor."

Chihiro followed him through a highly decorated floor to another elevator that, she assumed, led only to Yubaba's chambers.

"My chambers are over there." Haku pointed to a big mahogany door at the end of the hallway. "The most important guests also reside on this floor. But now, nobody is here except for me." His smile didn't quite reach his eyes. Even he must get lonely, Chihiro supposed.

They took the elevator to the very last floor. As it stopped in front of the familiar door, Chihiro couldn't help but feel a stab of fear. After all, that witch turned her parents into pigs and wanted to slaughter them. Haku beside her noticed her tension and gently put a hand on the small of her back and guided her towards the door. And just as it came, the fear vanished, leaving her brave and ready for everything the witch might do. How could Yubaba possibly harm her with a dragon on her side?

Chihiro jumped a little when the door handle started to talk in its old, raspy voice. "Well, isn't that the human who doesn't know how to knock?"

Chihiro felt annoyed. "Yes, it's me." She flashed it a smile and knocked as hard as she could against the door. The door knocker howled in pain but the door opened.

With Haku behind her, Chihiro started walking through the numberless door until she reached the closed one that lead to Yubaba's office. She knocked once and a loud, cracked voice shouted, "Come in!" She took a deep breath and entered the room.

In the eleven years, Yubaba hadn't changed her taste. The wallpapers were still too colorful, bookshelves still filled with too many jewels. The bright colors made her head hurt so she quickened her pace. After a few more steps through the office Chihiro noticed the absence of familiar presence behind her back. Looking back, she saw Haku hadn't moved further from the door. He gave her a reassuring smile.

"Come on, I don't have all day," The raspy voice grumbled.

Chihiro strode to Yubaba's desk. Like the last time, she was sitting at her big desk and filling in the paperwork. Just like the office, the witch hadn't changed a bit. Still in her blue dress, still with a huge head, she lifted her head and glared at Chihiro with the same large eyes.

"So you came back," she said, smirking meanly. "But I think Haku is the one who deserves credit for that." Her eyes left Chihiro's for a moment and glared at Haku's direction. The dragon just stood there, glaring coldly back at her. When Haku wasn't intimidated by her, her attention turned back to the human standing patiently before her.

"I assume you want to work here again," Yubaba said. Chihiro nodded. There was a silence followed by ticking of the big clock on the heavily decorated wall. Chihiro glanced at it. Was it midnight already?

"How long will you stay here?" Yubaba asked. It caught Chihiro off guard. She didn't know how long she should stay here, as she told Haku already, but she really didn't want to look unprepared in front of Yubaba so she thought quickly.

A week seemed too short, two weeks also...A month seemed too long, but there was a chance she would never see them again. It was settled then.

"A month," she replied with certainty.

"A month?" Yubaba frowned, her big eyes staring at Chihiro. "You think you can handle working here for an entire month, all 31 days? If I remember correctly, the last time you hardly managed for two days."

That thought was bothering Chihiro since she got here. Was she good enough to stay here for a while? It would be very hard to mop floors or clean the big tub again. She glanced at Haku and the first thing that popped into her head was 'change'. He was not a child anymore, and nor was she.

"That was eleven years ago. I'm not a ten year old girl anymore. I think I'll do just fine." Chihiro said.

Yubaba scowled. "I see." The drawer of her desk flew open as her jeweled fingers dug into it and pulled out a piece of paper that flew to Chihiro. "Sign this and you're hired."

Chihiro took the paper and read the contract, something that her younger self didn't do. It didn't say anything about stealing her name or turning her to an animal. Chihiro narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "You won't turn me into a pig or a piece of coal?"

"Of course not." Yubaba glanced at the young dragon standing at her door, more trying to convince him than Chihiro. Chihiro signed at the end and returned the contract to Yubaba who put it back in the drawer.

"You will work with Lin again," she started, "and sleep where other workers sleep. You'll..."

"Ahem!" A loud noise came from Haku's direction. Chihiro turned her head and saw that he had left his position at the door. With a slow, almost lazy walk, he approached the old witch and the young woman.

Narrowing her big eyes, Yubaba asked, annoyed, "Yes, Haku?"

As Haku reached the pair, Chihiro couldn't help but notice the intimidating aura about his person. As he had aged himself over the years, his power had grown, too. Yubaba had every reason to fear him.

Haku spoke, his voice steely, "I think Chihiro should have her own room. After all, she is a human and humans aren't as tough as we are." Even though he didn't make an order, his tone left no room for discussion. Chihiro watched his cold green eyes bore into Yubaba's.

"Fine," she grumbled. "But she can have one on the first floor."

"No," Haku growled, "she should stay in the one she stayed in today."

"Who gave her that room?" she snapped, rising from her chair even though her height was not even close to Haku's.

"I did," Haku said, in a cold voice that made Yubaba stiffen.

She sighed heavily. "Fine. Now go. I don't want her stinking up my office." Chihiro took one last glance at the witch before Haku grabbed her by the arm and led her from the room. Yubaba seemed to be quite upset as she wrenched opened her drawer and searched in it.

As they walked past the doors of Yubaba's chambers, Haku let go of her arm and walked beside her. He seemed to have calmed down; his shoulders weren't so stiff anymore. Chihiro was able to smell him when he reached to pull at the handle down in the elevator. He smelled quite nice, she noticed. Speaking of scents...

"Do I still stink?" Chihiro asked shyly.

Haku chuckled. "A little bit." Seeing her eyes fall, he quickly added:" I'm pretty sure it will be gone by tomorrow." She seemed to lighten up then and watched the floors as they passed them by.

Haku gazed at her from behind. It was true her scent was indeed strange but now when he thought about it, it had a hint of something special in it. He had been in the human world for just a couple of minutes but he had sensed it there, too. A human scent. It was strange, but good kind of strange. He would miss it tomorrow.

Haku stopped the elevator on the floor Chihiro's room was on. "So what now?" she asked him.

"I don't know about you but I'm going to finish my paperwork and then finally get some sleep," Haku said, rubbing his sleepy eyes with the back of his hand. "I suggest you do the same. If you are staying with us for a whole month, you should get used to the bathhouse system. We who work first shift go to sleep around two A.M and wake up at nine A.M. Then we have breakfast. It is usually served in the mass hall but it could be delivered to your room if you want. Then we have free time until lunch at two P.M. Then the preparations begin. It all must be cleaned till nine P.M. when the customers arrive," he explained. "You will be working first shift with Lin. She will show you around and tell you what you have to do."

Chihiro nodded. "Okay. I'll try to get some sleep."

"Come on, I'll walk you to your room."

The chatter from the noisy customers didn't lessen a bit but Chihiro was grateful it didn't reach her room. As Haku bid her goodnight and left, Chihiro entered the suite. She switched on the light and finally noticed the beauty of her room.

The walls of her room were painted cream with pink flowers in the corners. The rug matched the color of the walls perfectly. The double bed with a canopy occupied most of the space. The sheets were white and the blankets dark pink, contrasting with the dark wood of the bed. On the left side of the bed there was a nightstand made from the same wood as the bed.

Chihiro looked out of the windows that covered the whole wall. It was so strange that the view changed - by day it overlooked green plains and by night there was a big lake.

Moving from the window, Chihiro made a beeline for the bathroom and took the bath she had longed for all day. Special herbs made her aching muscles relax and made her skin smell like roses. She brushed her teeth and changed into purple pajamas and went to bed. Her purple hair band was safely placed on a nightstand.

Chihiro didn't feel very sleepy. It was a shame she had forgotten the book Haku had given to her in his office before going to meet with Yubaba. With a sigh, she started wondering what kind of nasty things Yubaba would throw at her tomorrow at her first day at work. Maybe another stink spirit she would have to serve? Or cleaning the big tub again? But considering that she had the dragon by her side, Chihiro doubted Yubaba would harm her. Humiliate - yes, but harm physically - no. At least not in a month's time.

Rolling on her side, Chihiro gazed through the window. A month? Could she really stay here for 31 days? Since her little adventure years ago, she has always wished to come here again, to meet her friends. And now she finally did it.

Not seeing her family for a month would be hard. But a month spent with her another family, long lost friends shouldn't be so bad, right?

**A/N And after more than five months, I'm back! Yeah, sorry for that. But summer is here and I wish to update more. **

**Also, reviews would be really nice.**


	7. New friend, old friend

CHAPTER 7: NEW FRIEND, OLD FRIEND

The next morning, Chihiro woke up on time, according to the small clock on the bedside table. She was finishing making her bed when Lin came, bringing her the bathhouse uniform to work in. It was as pink as Chihiro remembered, only this time, it was a lot bigger.

"I found the right size a lot easier this time," Lin said, smiling.

As she put the uniform on, Chihiro glanced at herself in a bathroom mirror. Funny, she had always hated pink but this time, she didn't mind wearing it. As the matter of fact, she was thrilled to wear that uniform again. While cleaning baths after dirty spirits wasn't her favorite thing to do, wearing the pink working uniform meant she had found her way back to that magical bathhouse full of spirits she called her friends.

One of those friends knocked on her bathroom door and shouted to come out already, in a stern voice Chihiro knew all too well.

After a heavy sigh and a glance on her right wrist, she opened the door. The purple band on her wrist was her lucky charm, and luck was desperately needed because from the moment she stepped out of the bathroom in that pink uniform, her first day at work in the bathhouse had officially begun.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Lin walked her through numberless floors, showing her all the types of baths that existed in the big bathhouse.

Massive communal baths, smaller but more grandiose private baths…all of those needed to be sparkling clean for the customers.

Lin even took her to the 21st floor. Chihiro had heard this was the most 'decorative' floor, but never know what this had meant until the elevator doors opened. The bright colors made her dizzy as it seemed that wallpapers couldn't decide what color suited them the best. Royal blue, crimson and purple could be found everywhere, including on the thick carpet on the wooden floor. The ceiling was painted midnight blue with thousands of small silver stars with the full moon twinkling on the light of enormous chandeliers. Everything on that floor was so grandiose and oh, so colorful. Chihiro felt the same as in Yubaba's office; she wondered if the old witch had had a hand in decorating this floor.

Lin informed Chihiro that there were only three rooms on this floor. These were suites available only for special customers. The suites had enormous king sized beds and the view of the beautiful bathhouse gardens on the west side of the bathhouse, but even bigger than the bed was the bath tub.

In each of the rooms stood the largest bath Chihiro had ever seen. Each had been made out of a different type of jewel, as only the richest spirits could afford the luxury to bathe in them. Each bath even had its own cleaner. Lin proudly shared that she was the cleaner of the emerald room. Well, she was proud only when the enormous room was sparkling clean; otherwise she would spend between two and three days cleaning it.

Of those three rooms, emerald, ruby and sapphire, Chihiro liked the emerald one the best. Why? She didn't know.

The baths on that floor were used very rarely (much to Lin's satisfaction) and because of that the floor number 21 was almost always empty.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

After another hour and a half of showing her every dusty corner of the bathhouse, Lin took Chihiro to lunch. Three meals every day, breakfast, lunch and dinner, were served in a mass hall on the third floor. Only lower bathhouse staff, such as yunnas, frogmen and other workers, had their meals there. Higher classed workers that consisted of only a tenth of the whole bathhouse staff could arrange that their meals were served in their rooms or offices. Lin envied that, she told Chihiro before going to lunch, as the mass hall in lunch time was so full of workers you couldn't possibly find a free place to sit at one of the dozens big dining tables that occupied the majority of it. And she was right.

It seemed that all of the workers didn't fit in the mass hall because some of them stood outside with their platters of food in their hands and an annoyed look on their faces. Every table was full and there wasn't any free space for even standing in the big hall. Chihiro wondered if there would be any food left for them when they reached the buffet. The one was long and so very slow. Lin seemed to be used to waiting for an half an hour in the line for food because she was standing in the line patiently, without complaining or trying to push through. Lin was no patient spirit so seeing her like this was close to astonishing.

When they finally reached the buffet, Chihiro was surprised by the amount of food on it. There was literally everything, from small fish to fish the size of catfish, shellfish, pork (which Chihiro avoided) and chicken so soft it melts in your mouth. There was also a variety of side dishes: potato prepared in every way, rice, noodles and vegetables. It looked like food heaven. And it was free. Chihiro's dad would love it.

After stuffing her platter with a little bit of everything (except for pork, of course) Chihiro followed Lin out of the overcrowded mass hall. She brought her to some old staircase just around the corner.

"Nobody use it anymore because of the elevators", Lin said and sat down on one step. With the food platter on her lap, she began eating. Chihiro followed suit, nearly falling down as the handrail broke when she leaned on it.

"Be careful!" Lin shouted, her mouth full with food. "As I said, it isn't used anymore so it's decayed. Just don't lean on the handrail." With more than enough of space between her and the rotten handrail, Chihiro sat down and began eating. It tasted heavenly! No wonder her patents couldn't stop eating! It even made her wonder if the cooks had used some magical ingredients while preparing it. She highly doubted she would mind if she was actually eating rotten flesh magically turned into fresh one. It tasted too good.

"How long did you tell Yubaba you'll stay here?" Lin asked her when they finished their meal. It was hard to move after they'd stuffed themselves with delicious food. They were just sitting the on the abandoned staircase, waiting their shift to start.

"A month," Chihiro answered.

"Only a month?" Lin frowned. "But that's too soon! I didn't see you for so long and now you came only to be gone again in month's time. "

Chihiro thought a month would be enough for her to live her childhood dream again. But looking at it from Lin's point of view, a month seemed terribly short. It was too short, just like eleven years had been too long. And she wanted to stay longer! She wanted to stay two months, four months, a year, or simply never go back to the human world ever again! But she couldn't.

"I wish to stay here longer but I can't," Chihiro sighed. "My parents would be more than furious by me not coming home for a month. And I need to go to university. My classes would start by then." Chihiro watched her friend struggling to understand.

"I know!" Lin all but shouted at her. "But still...It isn't fair."

Nothing is fair, Chihiro wanted to tell her friend. It wasn't fair that she had to wait so long to come here. It wasn't fair that the tunnel would disappear when she leaves. But telling Lin that, she would just make Lin and herself even sadder. And it was her first day here, in the spirit world! First of 31! She didn't want it to be sorrowful.

Chihiro turned to face Lin, who had her head leaning on the wall, eyes closed and brows furrowed.

"Well, we'll just need to make what we can in a month," she said. Lin opened he eyes and glared at Chihiro. At first, she thought Lin was going to shout at her about all of the unfairness of this world. Instead, she smiled, getting excited.

"Yes!" She exclaimed. "You need to go to one of Tuesday parties and play sake game with us, and I need to show you the new gardens on the west side of the bathhouse and oh, that stupid birthday ball for that spoiled brat is coming up and it will probably suck but okay-" The loud ringing echoed through the hallway, cutting Lin off. She sighed heavily.

"-But that will have to wait," she said, and stood up from the stairs. "Now we have work to do." She put her hands on her hips. "Stand up, you dope, we need to start early if we wanna scrub all of that dirt before the customers come."

Chihiro chuckled to herself. Lin wouldn't be Lin if she didn't order her around and call her dope. She got on her feet and exclaimed, "Yes, ma'am!" making Lin roll her eyes.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

After half an hour of scrubbing, Chihiro regretted being so enthusiastic about it. It proved to cause back-ache, arm-ache, headache and lots of other aches as it had done when she was a little girl. She was still the slowest, was frequently reminded she was, but now they said it as a form of simple teasing, not disgust. Chihiro could handle teasing.

She was also called 'dope' by Lin on multiple occasions because of her clumsiness. She almost sprained her ankle stumbling onto a step. Luckily, she hadn't spilled the can full of dirty water she had been carrying to dump outside but it was close. It took them more than an hour to mop the floor around the bath they were assigned for. It seemed like an impossible task, for the customer who bathed last was a volcano spirit, who left ash everywhere! But with the help of some Kamayi's special mixed polish and Lin's persistence, the floor was as clean as they could get it.

After that, they needed to scrub all of the dirt out of the bath. The bath they were assigned to was a simple white porcelain private bath, not nearly as big as the big tub, so during scrubbing and scrubbing for hours until her whole arms hurt, Chihiro comforted herself that it had been much, much worse last time, when she was trying to clean the big tub.

Chihiro was surprised Yubaba hasn't assigned Lin and her for big tub duty again. After the not so happy conversation they had the day before, the human was half expecting her to make her first day at work miserable. The witch did try but fortunately Haku intervened.

Every time the foreman brought the order from 'upstairs' that Lin and she needed to clean the famous big tub or mop the entire floor, a couple of minutes later, when they had already stated working on the Yubaba's task, the foreman would return with a different order from master Nushi that they don't need to do that. So they returned to their original task.

An hour later they would receive another order from Yubaba and some moments later it would be declined.

And the process repeated. Many times.

Chihiro found it quite nice that Haku cared for them.

Lin found it extremely frustrating.

It even led Yubaba to appear a couple of stories above the ground level where the spirit and the human were working. She had a magnificent view of them from the place she had been standing. Like a huge hawk in blue dress, she was watching, waiting them to do something for which she could punish them, possibly turn them into pigs or at least the lumps of coal.

However, the old witch was petrified when the young dragon appeared on the other side of the floor, exactly opposite of her. He'd obviously abandoned his stack of paperwork to confront to the witch he had once served, once, but never more. Because the roles reversed over the years. Yubaba seemed to shrink to the size of a hummingbird from the sight of him. His green eyes glared coldly at her, daring her to do something. It was a shame she was too afraid to do anything. It would certainly be amusing to watch Haku's reaction.

Chihiro had stopped in her attempt to scrub the tub. It was pointless anyway because at the end of the day it would be just as dirty. She stepped out of the bath and turned her head up to watch him from below. He had looked so...mighty, while he stood there, his raven bangs poking his green eyes that looked so much like the ones in his dragon form.

He indeed looked like a dragon.

Not that cute, cuddly ones Chihiro usually watched in cartoons when she was little but also not that evil ones that burn villages and kill thousands. Haku was something in between. And 'between' was the best place you can be, or so she had been told.

Hearing a distant cry of pain, Chihiro's eyes left the dragon. Her gaze settled on the young yunna. She was crouching in the bath area opposite from hers, her head on her knees and one arm clutching the other. If she looked closely enough, Chihiro could see crimson liquid slowly pouring from the ugly scrape on that arm. But nobody else was there to see it or to hear her silent sobs. Lin had gone to bring another bucket of streaming water, but depending on her habit to drop by Kamayi every time she did that, she was probably in boiler room right now and wouldn't be back for a while.

Chihiro rushed to the little girl. Hearing her approaching, the girl raised her head from her knees. Even though her eyes were all red from crying, Chihiro recognized her. She was that young yunna who came looking for Lin yesterday. Her unnaturally big brown eyes looked at her the way she had been looking at her the day before. She was frightened.

The girl started backing away, crouching.

"Don't be afraid. I just want to help you." Chihiro said gently. Why did that phase sound so familiar?

She crouched in front of the girl who had, thankfully, stopped backing away. Though, she still looked ready to bolt at every moment if Chihiro do something that could harm her. She reminded her off some hurt animal.

Chihiro flinched at the sight of her bloody hand. Funny, she was going to be a doctor but the sight of the blood still troubled her. As awful as it sounds, she believed she would get used to it eventually.

"Can you give me your hand?" She asked the girl. She had stopped sobbing but her lip trembled dangerously when she moved her wounded arm and extended it to Chihiro, fat blood drops falling to the recently mopped floor. Chihiro gently took her hand in hers and turned it so she could see the scrape. Thankfully, it proved to be not as deep as Chihiro though it would be from the amount of blood.

Chihiro saw the pieces of glass scattered on the floor right next to the young girl. From the look of it, Chihiro would say that it was once an oil lamp. The girl was lucky she hadn't burned herself on the hot oil when the glass broke.

"It's not so bad," Chihiro tried to reassure her when it seemed she was about to cry again. "First we need to stop the bleeding." But with what? Chihiro looked around the bath area in search for something clean enough she could use to stop the flow of blood. She saw two mops on the small table next to the bath. One was unused, unlike the other one that was almost black from all of the dirt caked onto it. Chihiro stood up and grabbed the clean mop. It wasn't the most hygienic to use a mop for bandaging the wound, even just to stop the bleeding, but she had no choice. She gently pressed it to the scrape and kept the pressure on it until it seemed that the bleeding had decreased.

"Good," she said. "Now we need to sterilize it and bandage it up."

Speaking of bandages, did they have bandages in the spirit world? Chihiro frowned. But the girl spoke before she could worry about that.

"We s-store medical equipment by the reception desk." Her voice was shy and shaky and she couldn't meet Chihiro's eyes. That was probably because the last time she had seen her, she practically ran away screaming just because Chihiro was a human. But now, that human is helping her when nobody else could. Fate is a strange thing.

Releasing her arm, Chihiro stood, startling the girl.

"You stay here and keep the pressure on the wound. I'm going to get it," she said, already turning to leave and stepping out of the bath area when she heard a silent, shy, "Thank you" from behind her. She looked back and found the girl blushing scarlet red. It was terribly endearing how she shyly looked away when Chihiro looked at her. If made her smile all the way to the reception.

When the girl said they stored all of the medical equipment by the reception, Chihiro imagined it to be a big locker full of bandages, sticking plasters and pain killers. She certainly didn't think it would be a little bag hanging on the wall with just a few unused bandages and some little bottles with descriptions so faded they couldn't possibly be read. Chihiro opened one of them. The scent hit her full force. Wrinkling her nose, Chihiro closed the bottle again and put it in her pocket. It was the alcohol she needed for the wound sterilization.

After she found a decent piece of bandage, Chihiro hung the bag back on the wall and went back to the girl.

While walking and trying not to drop the precious items, Chihiro glanced up to the place where Yubaba had been standing couple of stories above. It was now empty, the witch obviously had lost her interest in hawking over them. Haku had gone, too, probably sitting in his office surrounded by mountains of paperwork by now. No matter how much she tried not to, Chihiro kept giggling at that sight.

When she reached the bath area when the young girl was waiting for her, she was shocked to find her mopping her own blood of the floor. She was still crouching, her bloody left hand wrapped in the mop pressed to her stomach. The blood broke through the thin fabric and was soaking her pink uniform, turning it red. With her right hand, she was clutching that dirty mop. She was furiously mopping the drops of red from the floor with it. And the pieces of glass were gone, too.

"You shouldn't be doing that right now," Chihiro said. The girl seemed not to have heard her enter, for she shrieked. "Here, let me bandage your hand."

The girl dropped the filthy mop she had been mopping with and let Chihiro clutch her arm. She took out the bottle of alcohol from her pocket.

"This will sting but it will sterilize your wound." The girl shuddered but didn't make a sound when Chihiro poured alcohol on her scrap. Next she began to wrap the wound with the bandage she brought from the 'medical bag'.

"What's your name?" She asked the girl.

"Hanako." Her voice sounded so small and fragile it saddened Chihiro. Looking at her ruined uniform, Chihiro wondered how her parents would react when they see their daughter's bandaged arm and bloody uniform. She asked "Where are your parents?" meaning, in which part of the bathhouse were they but she was surprised when Hanako answered her.

"They are in the slums across the lake."

"You are here all by yourself? Why?" Chihiro regretted asking immediately, seeing Hanako's eyes sadden to the point Chihiro was afraid she might cry again. But when she answered, her voice was steady and a bit fake like she got used to answer that question.

"My father is very ill. There are no doctors there so my mother had to quit her job at the bathhouse to nurse him. They were forced to send me here to make money for the family while they can't."

Chihiro knew what slums where. There were, unfortunately, a lot of them in the human world and she could see them on TV. People living there were very poor and had terrible living conditions. It was a very bad thing Chihiro thought only existed in her world. Judging by Hanako's response, she had been wrong.

It couldn't be said with words how truly sad Chihiro felt for the young girl. In a way she was just like Chihiro had been - all alone in the big bathhouse, their parents had a some form of illness - being turned into pigs could be a illness, right? But what surprised Chihiro the most was when Hanako said there were no doctors there or anywhere else.

"Why are there no doctors?" She asked. Lin had told her doctors are very rare in the spirit world, but she had not expected for there to be none of them.

Hanako shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know," she said. "Maybe they got sick and died."

All the doctors died from sickness. How optimistic.

"You know, I'm kind of a doctor. Or at least I'm going to be." Chihiro said matter-of-factly. She didn't expect the question that followed.

"So you can heal my father?"

Oh, how terrible it was to look into Hanako's large brown eyes full of hope. Chihiro had no idea about illnesses in this world or how should she treat them. For all she knew, there would be no similarities with human diseases. But to deny the hopeless girl what little hope she had left was like denying gravity. So Chihiro nodded.

One good arm and one almost bandaged arm grabbed her around the middle in a tight hug. Chihiro really didn't expect that of the girl who ran away screaming the last time on sight of Chihiro. Her hair tickled her chin and her tears soaked her uniform. It all but caused Chihiro's own tears to form in the corners of her eyes because she promised maybe the impossible thing!

The hug lasted only seconds, before Hanako pulled away and went red in the face. Her eyes still held traces of tears when she spoke.

"You can bring master Haku with you! He knows where my father lives. My contract doesn't allow me to go with you. Please! Go as soon as possible!" She blurted out. Chihiro just nodded, not daring to open her mouth.

"Thank you, Mistress Sen!"

Chihiro smiled even though it hurt her heart even more. She took her wounded hand and pulled at the last few strings until the wound was all bandaged up.

"Call me Chihiro. " She said to the young girl who got on her feet, her right hand clutching her bandaged one. She bowed to Chihiro, her nose almost touching the floor and moved to go away. Instead, she stopped mid-track and faced Chihiro who was still crouching on the floor.

Sounding flustered, she said, "I'm sorry I thought badly of you for being a human. Now I know differently." She smiled. "You are a really nice person, Chihiro. "

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

It took almost an hour for Lin to get back with the bucket of steaming water. By now it was well into the afternoon and the customers would arrive in about an hour.

"Kamayi says hi," Lin said to Chihiro while dumping the hot water into the bath. She took a mop and entered into the tub, the water barely reaching her ankles. She frowned, taking sight all of the scum on the inside of the bath that Chihiro purposely neglected.

"Why is this bath still so filthy?" Lin shouted, narrowing her eyes at Chihiro, who pulled an innocent face.

"What were you doing when I was away, Chihiro?" She asked her, knowing what she hasn't been doing by the look on the all of the dirt on the bath's surface.

"The little girl called Hanako cut her arm in the glass so I went to help her," Chihiro answered, leaving out her promise to the girl. Lin was already mad enough at her without her making a promise to a spirit child she couldn't really keep. Promises were sacred to spirits. That's why Haku kept so closely to his.

Lin sighed heavily. What else could she expect from the girl who feels the need to help everyone?

"You can play doctor all you want in your free time," she said. "Now we need to scrub all of that off before the customers come and that would be in a less than an hour." She put the mop in the water beneath her feet and threw it at Chihiro, nearly smashing her in the face. She laughed, despite her stern tone.

"So come over here and start scrubbing!"

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Despite Lin's panicking, the spirit and the human managed to make the bath decent enough by the time the big clock on the reception tapped eight times. That was the sign for all of the workers to stop cleaning because the customers were just about to arrive at the bathhouse.

All of the workers, including Chihiro and Lin, left their posts and gathered in front of a big main entrance to greet and guide potential customers to their baths.

As almost the whole bathhouse personnel stood there, waiting the first customers to arrive, Chihiro felt a little bit excited. They stood in complete silence, eyes on the bridge outside of the bathhouse, scanning the darkness for any sign of the customs approaching. The bridge was covered by a thin layer of snow and a cold breeze was blowing but Chihiro didn't feel cold, not with dozen of workers huddled on her, all wanting to be the first one to greet customers.

After a few more minutes of standing there, the first customer was spotted. It was no other than a mouse spirit with a scarf around his neck and a cap covering his big ears. His big feet left big footprints in snow as he crossed the bridge and entered the bathhouse. After him came some bigger spirits like bear spirits and deer, and then some dark mass spirits like the ones Chihiro had seen in the restaurants area. After them came human looking spirits dressed in the finest silk and white masks covering their faces.

Chihiro was startled when the getting song started and everyone suddenly rushed towards the customers. If it hadn't been for Lin holding her hand, Chihiro would have been dragged away with bunch of workers trying to pass.

She felt like the 10-year-old girl again as the familiar lyrics of the greeting sing sung by red-faced workers echoed in her ears and the sweet scent of various bath herbs filed her nostrils. She could hear the sound of water as some workers had already started filling their baths for the customers. Everyone seemed to smile around her, some for the sake of their customers but she could see some real smiles too, like the one on little frogman's face. Lin had told her all of the frogmen enjoy serving others. No wonder there were so many of them working in the bathhouse.

When the crowds lessened a bit, Lin tugged Chihiro by her arm.

"Let's go get our first customer," she said, her voice barely audible to Chihiro's ears over the loud chatter. She followed her through the mass of workers and their customers, all the way to the reception desk where non attended customers were standing.

"You must pick as rich a spirit as possible," Chihiro remembered Lin saying to her, "so it can leave you a generous tip." Lin had winked at her when she said that. Chihiro had felt disappointed, for it had reminded her just how much this world is similar to hers in its flaws.

It seemed that Lin had spotted a customer that matched her description because she suddenly stopped and turned to face Chihiro.

"You don't need to say anything," she said, "just bow and smile."

And Chihiro did just that when they approached the fat mole spirit. He was dressed in kimono that perfectly matched the color of his skin - black. Black, black, everything on him was black except his white eyes. He was blind.

It confused Chihiro, why Lin had picked him to be their customer. There wasn't anything luxurious or fancy on him for her to assume he was rich. Maybe Lin had been mistaken. But then, when the mole heard them approaching, he smiled. Lin had been right after all. His teeth were golden.

"Welcome to our bathhouse, honorable guest!" Chihiro barely suppressed a laugh upon hearing Lin's high pitched voice. It sounded so unnatural, coming from her mouth.

"We would be honored to offer you our services." Lin bowed again and Chihiro followed even though she didn't know the meaning of it. He was blind after all. But the mole spirit bowed back, his smile growing even wider. The bowing had to be a sign that the customer accepts to be served by them because Lin smiled back.

"Please follow her to your bath." Lin gestured to Chihiro. Chihiro was taken aback, wondering how he'd follow her, given his blindness. She meant to ask Lin that but she just turned around and left, leaving her alone with their customer.

The mole wrinkled his nose as if trying to caught her scent. His black face frowned and white eyes somehow found hers.

"Did you know you smell just like a human?" He spoke for the first time that night, voice old and cracked. Chihiro panicked because she had no idea she still stinked! Haku had said it should be gone by now. What if she drives her customers away because of it?

"Stop that," the mole said. "I can hear you panicking." Chihiro frowned. How could he know that?

The mole grinned again, his golden teeth flashing in the light of the dozen chandeliers hanging from the bathhouse ceiling. His big hand had searched the thin air before it found Chihiro's shoulder. It was soft and unlike Chihiro imagined it to be. She expected his skin to be tough from digging underground tunnels all day like normal moles do. But he wasn't a normal mole, not with a kimono and golden teeth.

He gave her a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. He said, with a voice low, like he was about to tell her a secret, "I like your scent. It is different. When you spend all your life surrounded by the same old scents, you learn to appreciate something different."

Chihiro smiled. "So you can follow me to your bath then?"

"Of course, child!" The mole exclaimed. "With that scent of yours, I could follow you everywhere. "

And with that, the mole followed the human all the way to the white porcelain bath she had spent scrubbing all day. There, they found Lin had brought a dozen white towels, scrub brush and other things necessary for having a bath.

"What kind of bath would you prefer, sir?" Lin asked their customer when he approached her.

"Anything except the one with the sage. The scent makes me dizzy," he replied.

Lin nodded, turning to Chihiro.

"Go to the foreman and bring a token for chamomile bath while I tend to our honorable guest," said Lin. Chihiro wanted to argue because the last person she wanted to see right now was the foreman. But sooner or later, she would have to meet him. The bathhouse was big, but not that big.

She sighed and left the bathroom.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Walking towards the bathhouse foreman's room, Chihiro felt very anxious. She could feel her heart racing in her chest and her hands were sweating, remembering how the foreman had hated her all those years ago. He hadn't wanted to give her any tokens, but happily gave them to other workers. Of course, No-face had given her plenty of it later on but there was no black monster who wanted to eat her this time.

Chihiro caught sight of the foreman as she approached. He was as she remembered, cheeks painted as red as the stupid hat he wore. His eyes were way too big for human standards and he wore the same colorful uniform. In front of him was a big stack of paperwork, like the one on Haku's desk, so he didn't notice Chihiro until she came so close to the desk she had almost knocked the stack of papers on his face.

His piercing eyes left the paper he had been signing and settled on her. Surprise spread over his face as he saw Chihiro had grown up. Chihiro felt very uncomfortable by the way he stared, but was getting used to it. On her way to work people had gawked, asking her if that was really her. Yubaba had spread the word that Sen was back so nobody had been shocked to see a human wondering around the bathhouse. What shocked them was her appearance.

And it seemed to shock the foreman.

His voice was full of surprise as he finally spoke. "You've changed so much!"

All Chihiro could do was sigh. She had heard it so many times in the last two days that she was tired of explaining how humans change their appearances as the years go by. Instead, she said simply, "Yes, I know that. "

Foreman seemed to have settled his composure because when he spoke again, his voice held that kind of annoyance his usual annoyance.

"What do you want?" He continued to work on his papers as he spoke.

"I need a token for chamomile bath."

Chihiro had predicted the pompous laugh on her request. The ink smeared across his papers but foreman didn't care as he was laughing and laughing until his tears began to form in his eyes. Chihiro frowned, annoyed.

"When Yubaba told me a human will work her for a month, I didn't believe her. I thought she was insane! Your kind is so lazy and pathetic no one would want to work willingly."

Chihiro gritted her teeth as he started laughing maniacally again.

"But now as I saw you asking for a token like you actually want to work, I know Yubaba is not insane! You are!" Foreman's stance about humankind didn't anger her; in fact she pitied the spirit. He was so blinded by his egotism, he didn't see that humans weren't as bad as spirits thought. It was stupid for Chihiro to expect anything else.

Chihiro sighed. If she had learnt anything in the eleven years, it was how to stay calm.

"So can I get the token then?" Her calm tone seemed to surprise the foreman. He finally stopped laughing, eyes wide as he stared at Chihiro.

"You really want to stay here, don't you?"

By 'here' he meant the spirit world and it was an unnecessary question considering Chihiro had agreed to scrub dirty baths and mop the floors in order to be allowed to do just that.

Chihiro nodded.

A token with the yellow triangle flew just in front of her face for her to grab. She frowned, because the corners of foreman's mouth twitched so very close to forming a smile. But he didn't. Instead, Chihiro smiled for the both of them and grabbed the token. She bowed to him and hurried out of the room.

She heard foreman shout after her. "Good luck!"

The human didn't need to turn back to see he really meant it.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

After Chihiro returned with the token, the procedure was quite simple. There was a hidden hatch in the wooden walls and when opened, a small but very stretchable purple string hangs out, attached to the boiler room. Attach the token to the string and pull, and Kamayi would send the requested bath water.

Lin had said some spirits prefer bathing in their clothes on, but Chihiro didn't see the point in that. Though, she was grateful when their first customer didn't untie his black kimono before stepping into hot bath. She wasn't comfortable with seeing naked spirits bathing quite yet.

While their first customer was enjoying his bath, Chihiro and Lin had nothing to do since Lin had already prepared towels and robes and other accessories such as cosmetic products their customer might require. They had been sitting on the floor, their backs against the wooden wall, relaxing a bit before the mole finished his bath. Soaked to the bone, he stepped out, leaving wet tracks on the floor that they'd have to mop up.

Even though his black kimono was now white from the soap bubbles, he refused to dry himself before leaving. "I like the scent of water on me," he said simply, not even bothering to wipe away the drops of water that were sliding down his face. When Chihiro tried to tell him that he would catch a cold going outside in the winter air while being wet, he just waved his hand dismissively. "I'm too old to get sick," he smiled.

After paying a decent amount of gold for the bath, he gave each of them tips in form of two small grains of precious metal. While Chihiro marveled at how it shined, Lin couldn't stop thanking the mole and inviting him to come again soon. The mole merely laughed at her, his voice throaty and cracked.

"Can the human girl lead me to the exit? I've remembered the way to get there but I don't want to bump into other spirits. Especially after being wet," the mole added, searching for his cane.

"Of course." Chihiro smiled and took his soft black hand to show him the way to the door as Lin shouted her goodbyes. After that, she let go of his hand as he could follow her from her scent. She was careful not to walk too fast. The mole walked with the help of his white cane but from time to time he seemed about to lose his footing. When that happened, Chihiro would stop and ask him if he was all right, always getting the same answer. "The scents are just making me dizzy," he'd say.

As they reached the main entrance, Chihiro turned to face the mole and said goodbye. She automatically bowed, not thinking that the mole spirit couldn't see her gesture. But like before, the mole bowed back.

"Goodbye, human child," he said, and smiled, golden teeth showing between his lips. He sniffed the air. "I will surely miss your scent."

Chihiro smiled. It was nice to hear she smelled pleasant.

The mole moved slowly, his wet kimono dripping still as he moved pass Chihiro and into the cold outside of the bathhouse.

"Are you sure you won't get cold? "Chihiro shouted after him. She really didn't want her first customer to die from pneumonia because she had let him go out in wet clothes. When he turned back, his face held none of his previous mirth. His eyes were wary and expression tired. When he finally spoke, his voice was quiet, almost whispering, words meant for her and her alone.

"Many spirits had seen me going outside dripping wet and yet none of them had been so kind to try and stop me. And yet you, the human - a stranger in this world, had asked me twice." He smiled. "With that seemingly small thing to ask, one can see the person's soul, even me." His white eyes shone in the darkness. "I see you have a big soul, pure and true, unlike the most of the residents of this bathhouse. Their souls have been corrupted by greed over the years. Don't let them steal bits of your soul because they desire it. But conversely, give it whole to the one who doesn't even require it. Give him all your heart and ask nothing in return because when you are apart and all seems lost, even if you are a world away, it wouldn't matter. Because no pure love can be broken. Unfortunately, someday you will understand."

And with that, he was gone. Chihiro never saw him again, the old mole with the heart as golden as his teeth.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

All day Chihiro thought about what her first customer had said to her. It made no sense. She had told Lin what the mole had said to her but she was just as confused as Chihiro.

"It is said that spirits who are blind and dying can see the future. Maybe he saw yours," Lin had said. But that wouldn't be good, Chihiro thought. She didn't want the mole to die, and didn't want to leave someone she loved. But the future wasn't set in stone. Chihiro certainly hoped hers wasn't.

But still, she mulled over it when she was carrying dirty towels to where they would be cleaned. Her shift was almost over and that was the last thing she needed to do before she could go to bed. She had said her goodbyes to Lin who had already gone to her sleeping chambers. Poor Lin, she was infuriated by their last customer.

It was a female-spirit with golden pins in her tight bun and an enormous ego. She had complained about everything, from the water temperature to the color of towels. She had even refused to pay for her bath! It had taken all of Lin's self-control not to take her in her hands and smack the spirit instead of calling the foreman to solve things. In the end, the spirit woman had been forced to pay for the bath, much to Lin's satisfaction. Lin hadn't argued with her but she also hadn't missed the opportunity to stick her tongue when the spirit was leaving. Chihiro did not know spirits could be so childish.

Before the insolent spirit woman, they had served two lake spirits, a rat one and one extremely dirty pig spirit. They'd spent almost an hour cleaning the tub after him! But he gave a big tip both to Lin and Chihiro so they hadn't complained, really.

The human hadn't known what she was going to do with the gold she had received from the mole and pig spirit. It wasn't as if she would stay in the spirit world long enough to need it. And she couldn't cash it in one of the pawnshops back in her world. What would she say if they asked her where she had got all of that gold? She certainly couldn't say she was given it as a tip.

Lin had also refused to take it when Chihiro offered it to her.

"You might need it before you leave," she had said and convinced Chihiro to put it somewhere safe. Not knowing where to put it, Chihiro decided it would be the best if she put it in the inside pocket of her coat. The coat and the clothes, along with the boots in which she came to this world, were the only things she really owned here. The apartment and all of the stuff in it wasn't hers. At least, they wouldn't be in a month's time.

After all of the scrubbing and cleaning, Chihiro's whole body ached. She barely managed to walk back to her apartment and lay on her bed. Not really caring to change into pajamas or even have a bath or brush her teeth, Chihiro slipped under the covers, thinking happily about having a bath in her free time tomorrow. As soon as her aching head hit the fluffy pillow, the human fell asleep.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

The next morning, after having the bath filled with all kinds of herbs for relaxing, Chihiro hopelessly tried to remove the wrinkles from the pink bathhouse uniform she had been sleeping in. She would just have to wear a new one for today's work. The big closet near the bed was filled with them, along with some plain slacks and shirts. She had no idea who had brought and neatly arranged them in the closet but whoever it was, they had also left her some fruit on her night desk. Tasting one of the berries, the sweetness filled her mouth. It tasted a lot like black grapes. It didn't matter if it had been mid-winter and no grapes would grow now in the human world, for the two worlds were not that similar. After purple mosquitoes and grapes in winter, Chihiro wondered what would come next.

It had been around 9 am when she had woken up and that meant she had almost four hours of spare time until Lin would come for her to go to lunch together. She could go to breakfast alone but she thought against it. She was still pretty stuffed from yesterday's dinner. On their break from work, Lin had brought her rice balls along with some vegetables. It had been delicious, of course. Everything cooked in the bathhouse kitchen was delicious, even purple beans.

After an hour or so of lazing in bed, resting her sore muscles, Chihiro concluded she had nothing to do for the next three hours. There was no TV to watch or computer games to play. Her mobile phone was probably still on the ground in the forest where she had dropped it. The poor thing probably wasn't working anymore as it had spent two days covered in snow and would probably stay that way until Chihiro returned. She had never considered herself to be a technology geek but now, in the world where human technology didn't exist, she terribly missed her 37inch TV and her beloved laptop. And her Kindle and tablet. And her iPod. Yeah, okay, Chihiro was a technology geek.

Lying on her bed, facing the creamy ceiling, Chihiro thought she could read the book Haku had lent her. But she had left it in his office before going to meet Yubaba. She sighed. Her bed was so warm and cozy she didn't really want to get up and walk all the way to Haku's office. Her legs were still sore, too.

But after another half an hour of lying in bed, her boredom got the best of her. She sighed again and swung her legs over the side of the bed.

After knocking on door 481, Chihiro waited about ten minutes before her sleepy brain finally realized no one would answer. Twisting the gold doorknob, she found it locked. Because, she only realized then, it was Haku's free time, too. He wouldn't spend his free time in his office, would he?

Turning to leave and surrender to another two hours of complete boredom, she bumped into a spirit standing right behind her. Backing away and quickly apologizing, Chihiro came face to face with a spirit woman she hadn't seen before.

Well, she almost mistook her for a child on first sigh because of her youthful flustered cheeks and innocence written all over her face, but she was taller and had more adult features.

She didn't look like the ordinary bathhouse worker. Instead of wearing the bathhouse uniform, she wore a short, pink long sleeved dress that was not at all like the traditional Japanese clothing she had seen other customers wearing. Actually, the woman didn't look Japanese at all. She wore spotted pink nylon socks and pink flip flops. The woman obviously loved pink because her hair was pink, too.

"Hello!" The pink woman flashed Chihiro a bright smile. Her pale blue eyes gazed at Chihiro with interest.

"Are you looking for my boss?" Her curly hair bounced on her shoulders as she tilted her head on one side. She spoke fluent Japanese but her accent was strange.

Chihiro was confused. "Your boss?" She asked.

"Yes," the pink woman smiled again and pointed at the silver sign on Haku's office. "Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi," she read aloud and then pointed at herself. "My boss."

"You're Haku's assistant?"

The spirit nodded. "I am Hillier," she introduced herself, "the spirit of Lake Hillier."

Chihiro had no idea where Lake Hillier was but judging by her accent and appearance it was probably outside of Asia.

"I am Chihiro Ogino." Chihiro didn't know what else to say, so added, "I'm human."

Hillier gasped. "So you're the human everybody is talking about!" She exclaimed. She didn't appear disgusted, like many other spirits had; instead, she smiled.

"I always thought humans had a third eye, an extra limb or something," Hillier said.

"So what did you need my boss for?" She asked Chihiro. Chihiro realized she had totally forgotten the purpose of her coming here in the first place.

"He lent me a book and I accidentally left it in his office," she said.

"Come." Hillier gestured for her to follow, pulling out a key from her pocket and unlocking the door. Chihiro followed her into the office. The sun was shining through the big windows, light beams illuminating Haku's massive desk.

"The book should be here somewhere..." Hillier moved to the desk and rummaged through the paperwork for some time until she managed to get through to the black book. Pulling it out from under the dozens of sheets, she handed it to Chihiro.

"Here you are."

Chihiro thanked her, and the spirit smiled broadly back at her. Hillier was smiling so often and so brightly it was contagious.

Even when she got back to her apartment, Chihiro couldn't stop smiling.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

When she opened the thick leather book, the very first sentence on the fragile paper yellow caught her attention.

"More than a thousand years ago, nobody knew anything about humans," it read. So the door to another world didn't exist, Chihiro thought. And indeed, in the first few pages of the book she found out that for millions of years, between the two worlds there was no door or a pass-through. Spirits knew almost nothing about humans and humans knew even less about spirits. The only interaction between the two was when some land spirit would go to their land in the human world.

The land spirit could go to the human world but only at a restricted area around their land, and only in animal form. Humans were scared of them and called them monsters, buggies... Humans were very primitive and they had no idea that within that animal form laid a mind much greater that their own at the time. Spirits thought little of them, not giving them any attention as they tended to their land. But not all spirits were like that. Some enjoyed scaring them, some enjoyed eating them, but some found them interesting.

At that she stopped reading because someone had knocked on her door. Glancing at the small clock on her nightstand, she realized it was almost noon. There was more knocking. That was probably Lin, Chihiro thought. She got out of the bed, where she had been reading, and opened the door, where stood Lin.

"Are you going to lunch with me?" She asked Chihiro and the human agreed, closing the door behind her and leaving the black book lying open on her bed.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

On the third floor where the mess hall was, the two women saw Haku. He was talking to some spirit dressed in red, but Chihiro didn't know what about because they went silent when they approached. Haku looked nervously at Lin, afraid she might be still mad at him for not telling her Chihiro returned. But Lin greeted him cheerily.

"Hey, Haku! Wanna join us for a lunch?" She asked. The spirit Haku had been talking to politely excused himself, leaving Haku alone with them.

"I don't think so," Haku sighed. "I have work to do."

Chihiro didn't doubt him. She had seen the state of his desk this morning. At least he had Hillier to help him out. But Lin was persistent as ever.

"Come on!" She whined. "Your paperwork can wait. I bet you haven't been in the mess hall in ages."

Haku sighed. She was right. He didn't remember the last time he had eaten there. It was probably when he had still been Yubaba's assistant.

"Fine," said Haku grudgingly. Lin was quick to grab him by his sleeve and pull him to the packed mess hall. Chihiro barely suppressed a laugh by at the way the spirit was treating the dragon; it was hard to believe Haku was Lin's boss.

"Get us a table," Lin told Haku. They barely managed to get through to one, bumping into other workers who weren't lucky enough to get a seat at the table.

When they approached the table with yunnas sitting at it, Lin finally let go of Haku's sleeve. He walked up to the yunnas and spoke to them. Chihiro could not hear what he said but they stood from the table and left. It wasn't great of them to use Haku's high position to get them a table but Chihiro didn't care. It was so much better to eat at the table and not on the old staircase. And besides, she was pretty sure it was a one-time thing, the lunch with Haku.

After lunch Haku had to confess that it was nice to eat in the mess hall for a change. He had always had his meals served to his office, so he could work and eat at the same time. But here, there was no paperwork, just loud spirits.

"So, how was your first day at work?" he shouted at Chihiro; while she was sitting right next to him, the other spirits were too loud for normal volume.

"It was okay," she replied. What else could she say? That she met a mole spirit that maybe predicted her future, made peace with the foreman or played doctor?

Of course, Lin though otherwise.

"She was fantastic! She fixed up a little girl's arm that had been bleeding," Lin said brightly, making Chihiro blush a little at the compliment.

"I'm training to be a doctor. It's my job to help people."

"But I'm pretty sure that it's not a part of your job to heal spirits, too," Haku intervened. At his words, Chihiro remembered something.

"I might have done something stupid," Chihiro admitted, and told them all about her promise to Hanako.

"Sen, you are such a dope!" Lin exclaimed when Chihiro was done. It was how she expected Lin to react, but it still made her frustrated.

"You don't know anything about spirit illness!" she exploded. "You would just make that little girl even sadder if you told her you couldn't do anything to heal her father!" Chihiro felt very much scolded by Lin. To make things worse, Lin was right in every way. She shouldn't had promised something she wasn't sure she could do.

Chihiro glanced at Haku, wary he'd react similarly. But Haku's expression hadn't changed.

His emerald eyes settled on her, making her feel uncomfortable. She squirmed uneasily.

"I will take you there tomorrow," said Haku, his voice cool and calm, surprising both Chihiro and Lin.

"Are you insane? How could she possibly help him?" hissed Lin.

Haku sighed. "I don't know." He closed his eyes for a moment, hands cupping his chin. "But I think she should give a try. She once saved my life. I think she could save another spirit, too." His eyes flickered to hers, and Chihiro vividly remembered his face all covered in blood.

There was a sudden disturbance, a loud shouting of "Master Haku!" The shouting became louder as the two spirits dressed in yellow yukkatas came to the table and bowed.

"Master Haku, we need your help!" they said in unison.

Haku sighed heavily. "Oh. Now I remember why I enjoy eating alone," he said sarcastically, and rose from his chair. Chihiro, still surprised by Haku's answer, got up from her chair and moved closer to him. She wanted to hug him, to thank him for everything he had done for her already. For yesterday, when he hadn't let Yubaba make her do awful things, for today when he didn't call her stupid for making an impossible promise... For simply being a good friend.

But as Haku figured out what was she about to do, he put his hands on her shoulders, preventing her coming any closer to him. His eyes flickered dangerously around them, scanning the crowd for someone who might have noticed that Chihiro was about to hug him. Seeing Chihiro's confused and hurt expression, he removed his hands and said, voice low and hushed, "Not in public."

And with that, he turned on his heel and left the mess hall, leaving Chihiro confused.

"Sen, you big dope! You mustn't do that!" Lin chastised as Chihiro sat back down.

"Why? I just wanted to hug him," said Chihiro, frowning. Lin gestured for her to come closer. Learning over the table, she whispered, "It's forbidden."

"Hugging is forbidden?" Chihiro snorted. "What kind of world is this?"

Lin sighed heavily. "No, hugging is not forbidden. Well, it is for you," she added, confusing Chihiro even more. "The point is, the relationship between immortal and mortal is strictly forbidden in this world. And any kind of little affections can put both of you in jail, or worse."

Chihiro widened her eyes. So, that's why Haku was so concerned about who had told Lin she had come back. When they were walking towards bathhouse, they were holding hands. Chihiro hadn't realized how dangerous they'd been.

"Why is it forbidden?" she asked.

"You'll find out in that book of yours."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

When lunch was over, Chihiro and Lin had about fifteen minutes left until their shift started, giving them just enough time to go to the foreman to see which bath they were assigned.

They took the elevator to the ground floor, where foreman had his list of duties for each day. He decided who gets which bath, so being on good terms with him was important. It was one of many things Lin had told Chihiro, as things she should know before a month of work.

"Do not mock a yunna about her make up because that might be the last thing you do. When the bath is so filthy you can't scrub it off, put some herbs that will roil the water so it's not visible. And never, under any circumstances, give sake to the frogman because he will start singing those awful songs until he passes out." Chihiro had meant to ask what was wrong with his singing but upon seeing Lin's dark expression, the human girl had thought against it. Lin had also told her that the ground floor was always empty if the workers hadn't started their shifts yet. In their free time, the workers usually hung out in their sleeping chambers, far away from Yubaba's prying eyes. So when you see a bunch of yunna there and their shift hadn't started yet, that means some rich spirit had come to the bathhouse.

So when the elevator stopped on the ground floor and she saw that almost the whole bathhouse stood in front of the main entrance, Chihiro knew the cause of it.

"Let's see if we can get some gold from him!" Lin exclaimed gleefully and rushed towards the crowd, taking Chihiro with her. She thought Lin was way too crazy about gold and money but she would be if she worked in the place run by the greediest person in the world, maybe both! It was no wonder No-face got affected by it while staying for only a few hours.

When they reached the crowd, the foremen rushed past them.

"Let me pass!" he shouted, but the workers weren't keen on making room for him and miss the opportunity to grab some gold. They were facing the main entrance where the rich newcomer was standing, so they didn't see foreman's face turn red with fury, even redder that his make-up.

"Move or you'll be scrubbing the big tub!"

The threat worked and the workers moved aside, allowing the foreman through.

"Come quick!" Lin pulled Chihiro to follow the foreman. As they moved closer to the main entrance, Chihiro could hear cheering and greeting, getting louder as they approached the foreman.

"Welcome, honored gue- Oh, Master, you're back!" The foreman was surprised, bowing low. This gave Lin a good view of the newcomer.

Lin raised an eyebrow. "He's back," she snorted, recognizing the man.

The newcomer suddenly spoke from somewhere in front of her, leaving the cheering crowd silent.

"I came back because I heard my old friend had returned to the bathhouse. I wish to see her." His commanding tone echoed through the crowd. It didn't take long for foreman to realize that Chihiro was standing right behind him. The human girl was startled when he roughly took her by her arm and half dragged her in front of him.

There she was, standing right in front of the man whose silver eyes pierced right through her as he spoke with just a barest of smirks.

"Hello, Sen. It's nice to see you again."

A/N

Lake Hillier is a pink-colored lake on Middle Island, Western Australia. No one fully knows why the lake is pink. Scientists speculate that the color comes from a dye created by bacteria that lives in the salt crusts. But maybe its spirit just loves pink. JJ

I imagined Hillier to be like the girl in Davichi's music video for the song Turtle. Without high heels and jewelry, though.

Big thanks goes to MadCatta for betaing this chapter.

So who do you think Chihiro's old friend is?


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